The Dance
by Bookkbaby
Summary: AU Yaoi ClSeCl. Cloud lost a bet, and now must pay the price and dress as a girl for the Halloween dance! He gets asked to dance by Sephiroth, who doesn't recognize him. Will Cloud reveal his deception when Sephiroth falls in love with 'her?
1. Halloween

Blanket Disclaimer for Everything: I don't own, I own nothing- I make no money. You don't sue. Now that we understand each other.  
Pairings: CloudSephCloud is the main one, with some mentions of the following: ZackAeris, TifaBarret, YuffieVincent, and CidShera. Anything but CloudSephCloud can be ignored. If you like Cloud and Sephiroth together, you'll probably like this!  
Warnings: Cross-dressing, and detailed kissing. Homophobes may now leave- will not accept flames because of pairing. YAOI YAOI YAOI YAOI consider yourself warned.

The Dance- Part 1 of 11

Cloud sighed, picking at his clothes and attempting to keep the material smooth.

'Not the worst idea for a costume, but...' Cloud thought shutting his eyes tightly. 'How did I let myself get suckered into this!'

Thinking back now, Cloud couldn't believe he had been stupid enough to make that bet with Tifa, Yuffie, and Aeris three weeks ago in the classroom.

Flashback

"Cloud, why don't you just ignore him?" Tifa asked, wincing in sympathy as Cloud touched a bruise on his cheek.

"You shouldn't get into fights like this." Aeris said, concern evident on her face.

"You try it." Cloud growled. "He was just asking for a fight that time. Tell him to be tolerant. It wasn't my fault."

"Oh yeah?" Yuffie asked, walking up to her friends just in time to catch the ending of the conversation. "You couldn't ignore Sephiroth for a week if you tried!"

"I could ignore him for a week. Want to make it a bet?" Cloud asked, confident that his self-control was good enough, his willpower strong enough to ignore the silver-haired man for a week.

"Sure!" Yuffie said instantly. "But if you can't ignore Sephiroth for a week- um... you'll..." Yuffie seemed at a loss, unsure of what Cloud's punishment should be if he couldn't do it.

"You have to let us pick out your Halloween costume and go to the school dance dressed in it." Aeris said, the gears turning in her mind. She smiled softly, making eye contact with Tifa and Yuffie. Some silent conversation passed between the three, Tifa and Yuffie breaking into identical evil grins.

This should have warned Cloud, but he ignored it.

"Deal." he said, putting his hand out to seal the bet. He shook hands with his female friends just as the bell rang, sending the girls scurrying back to their seats. Cloud simply stayed sitting, already in his rightful desk.

"That wasn't a very wise idea, Cloud." Vincent told him, sliding into his seat beside Cloud's.

"What do you mean?" Cloud asked. "What's the worst they can pick?"

"You'd be surprised." Vincent said cryptically, not offering any more information.

End Flashback

'And he was right.' Cloud thought, looking down at his outfit. It was light blue, flowing down to just below his knees, with knee-high white socks and small black shoes with heels. The sleeves were puffy and thankfully short, with a lacy collar. A blonde wig rested on top of his head, a black bandanna holding it in place. A white apron completed the outfit.

In short, Cloud was dressed as Alice in Wonderland.

'At least they didn't make me wear any makeup.' Cloud thought, grimacing. He still wanted to kick himself for making the bet in the first place- had it been anyone but Sephiroth, he could have done it. Hell, he could have ignored anyone else for a month, but against Sephiroth he hadn't lasted the full seven days.

It wasn't like Sephiroth was really annoying or mocked him often. It wasn't like Sephiroth stalked him or picked a fight with him for no reason.

It was because Sephiroth was Sephiroth that Cloud was unable to ignore him.

Sephiroth's hair seemed to taunt him, begging to be touched and brushed through, even though Cloud knew there probably would be no tangles. Sephiroth's glorious green eyes seemed to mock him, begging him to come over towards Sephiroth, drawing him in. Sephiroth's lips begged to be kissed- thoroughly. Sephiroth's body screamed to be held.

Cloud couldn't ignore Sephiroth because everything about the man called to him.

The intelligent sparkle of those green eyes, the fluidity and grace of that body's motions... it drove him crazy. That voice, deep and unintentionally seductive, even when Sephiroth was angry, sent shivers down Cloud's spine. The calm, cool collectedness and pride with which Sephiroth held himself was irresistable.

Knowing that his crush on the other wouldn't be appreciated or reciprocated, Cloud decided to hide it. In the darkness of the back of his mind, he kept that secret as the infautuation grew and grew until it had been too much to contain. Panicking, Cloud had decided that he had to hide his emotions by masking them, disguising them, rather than hiding them away. So that no one would suspect his love for Sephiroth, he had pretended to hate the man with a passion, verbally sparring as well as physically fighting. He had been so afraid of anyone finding out that he had kept up the facade all the time, only letting his true feelings show late at night when he was at home and absolutely sure that he was alone.

A week hadn't seemed that difficult at first, but Cloud's willpower had exponentially decreased until day six, when he had finally responded to a comment that the silver-haired man had said, control breaking down and he had verbally fought with Sephiroth in the middle of class. He might have been able to cover it up had not Yuffie been in that class. He had earned himself a detention and had lost the bet.

'I never should have agreed.' Cloud thought, hands clenching into fists around the material of his dress. Aeris had only been too happy when Yuffie had gloated about Cloud losing the bet. She had told Cloud that his costume was Alice in Wonderland, and that she, Tifa, and Yuffie would go with him to help pick it out. She had also extended a ticket for the dance towards him, saying that she had already taken the liberty of buying him a ticket.

Cloud had groaned in defeat, but had taken the ticket admist the laughter of his other friends.

'They picked this just to embarass me.' Cloud thought angrily. Once he had found out what his costume was, he had devoted himself to making himself into a believeable girl- he didn't want anyone at school knowing that he had dressed as a girl, and the easiest way to do that was to make sure no one suspected that 'she' was a guy.

He had sworn his friends to silence, though Barret and Cid looked like they were going to have fun blackmailing him for it later.

Cloud glanced around the gym. He had chosen a spot in a corner so he could a) hopefully not be noticed by anyone, and b) see the entire gym. Sephiroth attended alomst all the dances, and that was the last person Cloud wanted to see when he was dressed as a girl. With his luck Sephiroth would figure out who he was right away and hold it over Cloud's head for the rest of his life.

'That, and...' Cloud thought, swallowing in sudden discomfort. '... he always brings his girlfriend with him.' Sephiroth was extremely popular, and had a girl on his arm for every dance. Cloud had never liked it, and so had stayed away from the dances to try and avoid seeing Sephiroth with someone.

"Excuse me?" a deep, seductive voice asked, approaching him from the front. Cloud almost choked.

'The Irony Gods sure do love me, don't they...' Cloud thought, glancing at the approaching figure and suddenly having a hard time remembering to breathe.

Sephiroth approached him, clad in black leather. Tight black leather.

Sephiroth wore no shirt, but wore a long trenchcoat that almost covered his flawless chest. Two belts cris-crossed the bare skin, hiding even more of the pale perfection, teasing Cloud's eyes. Small belts acted as fasteners for the trenchcoat, but the only one done up was the one at Sephiroth's navel, allowing people to see the loose pants tucked into heavy leather boots that came up to Sephiroth's knees. Buckles fastened these on as well. Shoulder guards had been put on each shoulder. The trenchcoat also had a high collar, blocking most of Sephiroth's neck from view, and long sleeves. Sephiroth wore a thick metal bracelet on each wrist and leather gloves.

Cloud swallowed, drinking in the sight before him.

"Miss?" Sephiroth said smoothly, stepping closer to Cloud. Cloud almost jumped as Sephiroth drew nearer, startled out of his admiration of the man.

"Y-Yes?" Cloud asked, confused. 'What is he doing here? Oh, shit, does he recognize me!'

"What are you doing here by yourself? Do you not care for dancing?" Sephiroth asked, tone polite but curious. Cloud realized that the silver-haired man actually didn't recognize him and silently thanked whatever god was listening.

"I- uh, not really." Cloud stammered, adopting a light falsetto and hoping his voice was feminine enough. "My friends brought me here." he added, feeling his cheeks grow hot. He was blushing, stammering- he winced. Not good. He probably seemed like bumbling idiot.

"Perhaps you'll allow me to change your mind?" Sephiroth asked, smirking lightly as he bent neatly in half, taking Cloud's hand and kissing it lightly. "Would you like to dance?" Cloud knew his face must be ten shades redder, feeling as though all the blood in his body had decided to hang out in his cheeks. Sephiroth stood back up, smirk still firmly in place.

"Are you always this much of a gentleman or am I special?" he asked, lightly teasing and trying to hold back nervous laughter.

"Believe me, you're very special." Sephiroth said. Cloud felt his heart flutter.

'Okay, he definately doesn't recognize me. He'd never speak to me like this...' The thought caused a slight frown to appear on his face, but Cloud willed it away. 'If he doesn't know it's me... well, he never has to know.'

"I'd love to dance with you." he heard himself say, allowing Sephiroth to lead him to the dance floor as a slow song came on.

End Part 1

So, what do we think? Bad idea or good? I already have this thing written out, but I need to be convinced it's worth posting first...

Anyways, I'll probably be posting the next chapter this upcoming weekend or next week. See you then! 


	2. Kiss and Run

A/N:blinks, shocked by the excellent reviews: Well, thank you! So glad we all like it! A bit of this chappie is kinda confusing- well, at least I think so. Please, someone tell me if I lose you on the logic here, because I wrote the whole story in basically 1 sitting and divided it into chapters later. Also, the formatting on screws this up- there's one period when there should be three on ocassion, for example. Grr... I'm sick of messing with it.  
Thanks again- onto the story! (And I STILL own nothing- not even one strand of silky blonde or silver hair.)

The Dance- part 2 of 11

Sephiroth's POV

Sephiroth had been extremely bored, standing with his 'date'- a rather airheaded blonde mall rat with a decent figure who had run off to dance with her friends. He didn't actually care. He had only brought her because he had a reputation to keep up- he never went solo to a dance. Ever.

'I'll have to remember to tell her that I won't be seeing her again.' he thought absently, looking through the crowd for a decent replacement girlfriend. He was extremely picky, but he could afford to be. As the stud of Midgar High, he literally had his pick of any girl he desired.

'Too bad the one I desire is off-limits, in so many more ways than one.' Sephiroth thought, smiling a bit sadly. He let his eyes roam the dance floor. 'She's a brunette, another brunette, a redhead, a blonde- no, wait, she's too busty. Black hair, brown hair, another black haired one, brown, blonde-' His eyes flicked to the blonde girl in a silvery outfit, shining in the lights. 'Possibility- not too tall, short hair...' he thought, then almost hit himself. He was doing it again.

He sighed.

Everytime he broke up with someone, he looked for another girl just like his last girlfriend. Well, physically similar, anyway. It wasn't because he had liked his previous girlfriend, it was just that all of his girlfriends had the same physical characteristics. They all looked like the one person he desired but could never have- Sephiroth assumed it was a subconscious thing, to only be attracted or even consider blondes as potential girlfriends. It was so much easier to impose the face of the one person he loved over the face of his current girlfriend if his girlfriend had blonde hair. Even easier if she had blue eyes and short hair, as well as being slightly shorter than he was and having a light frame.

He had tried to look at brunettes, and people with black hair, red hair, or even people that dyed their hair weird colors- like blue or purple. He could never feel an attraction to them, however, and so he had stuck with blondes and hoped that no one figured out that all of his girlfriends looked a lot like-

He cut the thought off. Now was not the time to be thinking of the one person he wanted to have hanging on his arm. It was useless to think about it because it could never happen. Often when he was alone, he entertained fantasies of going out with the blonde he secretly adored. He thought of what it would be like to kiss the blonde, wondering if those petal-pink lips were as soft as they seemed, or if he could make those blue eyes darken with lust. If he could make that voice call his name with anything other than hatred...

But no, it was an impossible dream, even for him.

Cloud Strife was perhaps the only person he knew of that hated him, and the only person that had gotten completely past his defenses and stolen his heart. Cloud had picked fights with him many times, glared at him, and yelled at him, but Sephiroth couldn't hate him. Cloud was simply too cute when angry, though Sephiroth knew better than to say so out loud.

His eyes kept scanning the room, keeping the blonde girl in the silver dress in mind in case he could find no one else.

He had just about given up his search when he saw a flash of blonde hair out of the corner of his eye. He glanced back, seeing a girl standing in the corner, looking off to the side.  
She had blonde hair, had a slight frame, and seemed to be slightly shorter than Sephiroth himself. Before he knew what he was doing, he walked closer to her, studying her face. She was beautiful- almost abnormally so, like her ethereal beauty should belong to someone or something else.

Her eyes were also the purest shade of blue he had seen- the exact same shade as Cloud's eyes.

"Excuse me?" he heard himself asked, making a decision- she would be his next girlfriend. She was almost perfect...

'Hopefully she not only looks like Cloud, she has some of the same personality traits.' he found himself hoping. She could never be Cloud, but if she was close enough he may be able to fall in love with her.

He noticed her staring, looking at him as though he was some sort of Greek god and she would like nothing more than to worship him.

"Miss?" he asked, amused at how her eyes jerked up to his face.

"Y-Yes?" the girl asked, clearly nervous.

"What are you doing here by yourself? Do you not care for dancing?" Sephiroth inquired, curious as to why someone as gorgeous as she would be alone.

'Did her boyfriend abandon her? She must certainly have someone... looking like that?'

"I- uh, not really." the girl said, still sounding very nervous "My friends brought me here." she added, blushing. Sephiroth almost smiled at her uncertainty, but restrained himself.

"Perhaps you'll allow me to change your mind?" he asked, smirking privately as he thought of how much he'd enjoy changing her mind about dancing. Disregarding the fact that it was a fast song playing at the moment- a slow song was bound to come one soon- he bent in half and gently kissed her hand. "Would you like to dance?"

"Are you always this much of a gentleman or am I special?" the girl asked, finally relaxing a little as Sephiroth straightened up and looked deep into her bright blue eyes.

"Believe me, you're very special." Sephiroth said.

"I'd love to dance with you." the girl finally replied, after a few seconds of deep thinking. Sephiroth put a hand at the small of her back and brought her to the dance floor, smiling as a slow song came on.

'Perfect timing.' he thought to himself, grinning even wider when the girl moved her hands so she was holding one of his shoulders and moved her hand to hold his free hand. He slid his hand slowly to her hip, enjoying her blush, and lifted their joined hands slightly so they could dance. Slowly, he began to sway, the girl moving with him as if in a dream. Carefully and subtly, he drew her closer to him so they were almost touching. The blush that had barely left her face returned, ten shades darker.

"What's your name?" he asked, continuing to sway to the music as he vaguely noticed many other couples doing the same thing.

"Clo- Clementine." she responded, tensing up for a second but then relaxing. Sephiroth thought it odd how she had paused, but gave it no further thought.

Cloud's POV

Cloud almost kicked himself. He had almost told Sephiroth his actual name! While he had been lucky so far- Sephiroth hadn't seemed to realize who he was- the name would be a dead giveaway and he would be the laughingstock of the school.

He knew he wouldn't have ordinarily messed up if it hadn't been for the fact that it was Sephiroth he was practically plastered against. Cloud had to keep some distence in between them- he didn't want Sephiroth feeling the actual planes of his body through the dress he wore. He had to keep Sephiroth from feeling all of his 'womanly' features, even though he saw some other couples dancing, looking like they were trying to become one body because they were so close together.

"Clementine, hmm?" Sephiroth said, seemingly intrigued. "Interesting name."

"Thanks." Cloud said. When Sephiroth said nothing, Cloud added onto his senetence. "I already know your name- Sephiroth." he said. Sephiroth seemed pleased.

"Really? I don't recall saying it-"

"Is there anyone in Midgar High that doesn't know your name?" Cloud asked, smiling. "Of course I know it."

"You go to this school?" Sephiroth asked, surprise showing in his voice. "I assumed you were the girlfriend of a boy that went here. A beauty like yours would not go unnoticed by me." Cloud blushed, basking in the praise.

"I've gone here for years- I'm just not noticeable normally." Cloud said, looking away. "Though I'm sure that you're always noticed. Your hair is unforgetable, and your eyes kinda glow. If you've been somewhere once, you're the kind of person that gets remembered."

"You're right- it does get annoying sometimes, though." Sephiroth said, feeling the urge to open up to the blonde he was holding. "I'm not usually remembered by my eyes, however. Usually people only notice my hair."

"Oh." Cloud said, blushing again. 'I think this costume is starting to affect more than just my appearence...' "Well, I can't help but notice your eyes. They're beautiful, but you've probably heard this all before."

"I haven't." Sephiroth said, leaning slightly towards Cloud. The song was ending, much to their surprise. "And, in my opinion, your eyes are much more unforgetable." With that said, Sephiroth pressed his lips to Cloud's.

Cloud gasped, freezing for a moment as his mind hurriedly processed what was happening.

Sephiroth was kissing him. Kissing. Him.

Cloud eagerly kissed back, realizing that this may be his only chance, willingly parting his lips to turn the chaste kiss into something much more passionate. Sephiroth's tongue was instantly in his mouth, running over his tongue, his teeth, even the hard plate on the roof of his mouth, sensually and seductively inviting Cloud's tongue to play. Cloud took the hint, lightly moving the tip of his tongue over what he could reach of Sephiroth's. They broke apart, breathing hard, but Cloud didn't want it to end and sought that contact again, pressing his mouth fiercely to Sephiroth's.

It was only when Sephiroth began moving his hands to Cloud's sides and lightly rubbing, encouraging the continuation of their make-out session on the dance floor, that Cloud came back to his senses.

'What am I doing?' Cloud demanded, horrified at his actions. 'He'll figure it out- he'll hate me, I know it! Oh gods, I have to go, now, before he figures it out!' Cloud pushed Sephiroth away.

"I'm sorry!" he said, turning and bolting like the hounds of hell were on his heels.

Just before he got to the door, he spared one last glance behind him.

Sephiroth stood alone on the dance floor, watching him leave with a look of confusion on his face and hurt in his eyes. Turning his head back around, Cloud didn't stop running until he reached his car. With shaking fingers, he hastily grabbed his keys and jammed them into the lock, twisting the keys around and slamming himself down on the seat. He closed the door quickly, then started the car. As soon as he could, he peeled out of his parking spot, out of the parking lot, and away from his school.

He drove to his apartment building, slightly calmer now that he was away from the school. With a heavy heart no longer held up by panic, he parked his car. His throat and eyes stung, but he hardly noticed as he locked his car quietly and walked up the nearby steps to his floor. As soon as he was on his floor he ran to his apartment, not wanting any of his neighbors to see him like this. He unlocked his door and threw himself inside, slamming the door shut behind him.

Numbly, Cloud stumbled to his room, not even caring as he ran into things in the dark, not complaining as he bruised a shin on a coffee table. Once in his room he quickly stripped and collapsed onto his bed.

Warm tears ran down his face- tears he hadn't realized he'd cried until he was laying down and his tears pooled on the pillow beneath his head.

"I... I kissed Sephiroth." he whispered, putting a hand to his lips, as if some remnant of the kiss lingered. Nothing.

Cloud buried his head in the downy softness of his pillow, muffling quiet sobs.

'I kissed him, and I ran away.' The look of hurt in Sephiroth's eyes was still very clear and very vivid, and Cloud hated himself for putting that look there. Even when he and the other fought, it had never hurt Sephiroth as much as 'Clementine's' rejection.

'I had everything I wanted...' Cloud thought sadly. He had had everything, but hadn't been allowed to spend more than four minutes in heaven. One four-minute slow dance was all the happiness he was going to get- a taste of paradise, and oh how Cloud hungered for more. His first kiss had been with his first love- it should have been perfect.

'What hurts most, though, is that he thought he was kissing some girl, and I didn't have the strength to tell him that he was kissing me. Me, of all people. I can't let him know- I should just forget it. I never should have let it happen...'

A/N: How was it? How many people think that it would be too cliche for Seph to have found out right then and there, and how many think he should have? I won't tell if he does or not- your reviews shall decide your fate! Onward!

I'll probably post the next chapter next Saturday- make you sweat for a week, then give it up! Enjoy! See you next week! 


	3. I Need A Favor

AN: I know we weren't expecting this for another day or two, but I've decided to post this a smidge early due to the outstanding reviews! I love you all people!

Special thanks to Vermillion Dragoness and InferiorBeing! I loved the reviews- now if we could just get everyone to write as much... sigh Fun fun! Hopefully I'll keep everyone in character (or at least not have too much OOC- I've only played up to just past Kalm and seen Advent Children so I'm not the best authority on them...)

I hope we'll all like this chapter- I actually was surprised by this part myself when I wrote it, because originally... well, I'll tell you at the end. No spoiling the surprise.

The Dance- Part 3 of 11

Sephiroth's POV

Sephiroth was confused as he saw Clementine run, nearly running into several people though she didn't seem to see them.

'Why...?' Sephiroth wondered. 'She was as much into the kiss as I was...' At least, he had thought she was. She had opened her mouth to him, encouraged his tongue- even initiated another kiss after the necesity of breathing broke the first one.

Perhaps he'd been reading it wrong?

Maybe what he'd thought was encouragement was her trying to push him away, what he'd thought was another kiss was her trying to... headbutt him, maybe?

'No... why would she say 'I'm sorry.'?' he thought. It made no sense, none at all. Their kiss had been mutual, he was sure.

'Why then, did she run?'

Somewhere in the dance, he realized, he had come to care for Clementine as well. She was as close to Cloud as he was likely to find, and he couldn't just let her go.

'It may not be fair to her, to always see someone else when I look at her, to imagine kissing someone else whenever I kiss her, even to imagine someone else's face and voice when we make love. But... it's as close to happiness and perfection as I can get. I can't let her get away.'

Knowing that, by now, Clementine was likely long gone, Sephiroth decided to try a different tactic. No longer interested in the dance- though thankful that few had seen Clementine's rejection of him- he left, driving back to his condo. He no longer lived with his parents, but came from a wealthy family and hadn't needed to depend on their cash.

Once there, he went to the kitchen and grabbed the cordless phone and the school phonebook. He flipped it open, looking for the school newspaper editor's name... Aeris Gainsborough, if he wasn't mistaken. One of his friends- Zack- had gone on and on about her and that tidbit of information had lodged in Sephiroth's brain.

He was now very grateful for the information.

He found the name and dialed the number, knowing that- as it was Friday- the household was likely still awake.

Three rings, and then a tired-sounding woman picked up.

"Hello?"

"Mrs. Gainsborough? Is Aeris there?" he asked, mind thinking up the best way to get Aeris to help him out.

"Yeah- hang on." Mrs. Gainsborough replied, then a rustle of cloth indicated that she had moved the phone from her mouth.

"Aeris!" he heard her yell in the background.

"Yes?" Aeris' voice was quiet, barely audible in the background.

"Telephone!" Mrs. Gainsborough must have moved back to the phone, because Sephiroth heard her very clearly when she next spoke.

"She'll be right-" A click indicated that someone else had picked up.

"Hello?" It was Aeris' voice, and another click sounded, indicating that her mother had hung up.

"Aeris?" Sephiroth asked anyway, just to be certain.

"Sephiroth?" she said, surprised- she must have recognized his voice. "What do you want?"

"I need a favor. You are the editor of the Midgar High Echo, right?" he asked, referring to the school newspaper.

"Yes- why?" She seemed confused, though Sephiroth really couldn't blame her.

"I would like to use the front page..." Sephiroth told her his plan, giving her the basics and nothing more than she needed.

"I'll help. It's a more exciting story than the mystery meat in the cafeteria, anyway." Aeris said, a laughing note in her voice. "Meet me after school on Monday to help with the layout. I'll have Zack come too so he can draw a picture of her from your description."

"Thank you." Sephiroth said, truly grateful.

"Not a problem. I'll see you on Monday." Aeris replied, hanging up. Sephiroth smiled as he pressed 'end' on the cordless phone.

'I'll find her again.' he reassured himself, confident.

Cloud's POV

Cloud awoke the next morning late, glad it was Saturday. He knew that his eyes had to be all puffy and red from crying himself to sleep, and the last thing he wanted to do was show up looking like an idiot.

He rolled out of bed, intent on getting breakfast, and almost slid on his dress from the previous night.

Catching himself in time, he glared at the material, liek it had caused all of his problems.

'Well, in a way, it did.' he thought, knowing that the whole situation came about because he had been dressed like a girl. He wasn't quite able to ignore the fact that it wasn't the dresses fault, but rather Aeris, Yuffie, and Tifa's fault for picking it. Of course, it was his fault for betting in the first place when he knew it was hopeless.

Shaking his head, he continued on to the small kitchenette, passing through the small living room area. His apartment was tiny, but it was all he could afford. It was pretty decent for what he paid for it, too. The kitchenette was just off to the side of the door, no wall separating the hall and the kitchenette. The kitchenette consisted of a small stove, a microwave, a sink, and a tiny refrigerator as well as a few small cabinents. Of course, if you continued straight for about five feet instead of turning in the hall you came to the tiny living room- big enough for a TV, couch, and small coffee table, but not much else. The living room lead to hid bedroom- big enough for a bed and a tiny dresser, the closet being part of the wall, but nothing else. A small bathroom was attached on the other side of the living room, a tiny space just big enough for a shower stall, sink, and toilet. A cabinent hung over the sink, holding his toiletries and over-the-counter medication in case he got sick.  
A large window dominated the final wall of the living room- it was one of the reasons he had picked this apartment. Cloud loved the sun, and would often take naps on the beat-up couch in the middle of the day.

Cloud checked the refrigerator for anything edible. He was in luck- he had apparently bought eggs recently. Smiling wryly, he grabbed the eggs and the milk carton, downing the last of the milk and tossing it out before getting started on his breakfast.

He bent over and grabbed an old frying pan from a cabinent, putting it on the stove and turning the old machine on. It was still in good condition, so it fired up pretty quickly. Going back to the cabinent, Cloud pulled out a plate and a fork, then opened one of the other cabinents for some bread.

He found some old white bread, not too stale. He grabbed two pieces out and put them on the plate. He decided that the frying pan was probably warm enough now and quickly cracked two eggs over it, careful not to break the yolks. He had had plenty of practice with this- making sunny-side up eggs had been one of the few things his mother had taught him to cook before she had died in the fire that took Cloud's home. He had been shipped off to live with his dead father's parents, but they had cared less about him than about themselves and had ignored him. He had learned how to cook while under their 'care', out of necesity more than anything else, but sunny-side up eggs were still special because he could almost feel his mother's love when he ate them.

It was a silly notion and he had no clue why he still pretended, but he really needed some comfort at the moment.

In minutes, his eggs were cooked just right and he expertly flipped them onto his plate. He shoved the frying pan into the sink, ignoring the hiss as the water droplets in the sink evaporated on contact with the hot pan.

He grabbed his fork and plate, going to the living room and sitting on the couch. He turned on the TV and flipped channels, trying not to reflect on the events of last night.

A part of him was glad to have gotten away, but a stronger and much larger part had wanted to stay, damn the world and anyone who condemned him for wanting a little bit of happiness.

'Even if the person who condemns you for it is Sephiroth?' an annoying voice in the back of his mind questioned.

Cloud sighed.

No, he wouldn't risk Sephiroth's absolute hatred of him- currently, he was certain that Sephiroth merely disliked him and would fight with him because Cloud wasn't completely hated by the silver-haired man. However, should Sephiroth start hating him, it would be all too easy to simply ignore Cloud and never again speak. Cloud couldn't risk never talking to Sephiroth again, even when all they did was fight. It was enough.

It would have to be.

The phone rang, startling him out of his train of thought. He groaned and got up from the couch, grabbing the phone on the fourth ring.

"Hello?" he asked, not too happy at being interrupted when thinking deep thoughts.

"Where were you? Yuffie and I looked for you all over last night!" Tifa demanded over the phone. Cloud winced.

"I was at the dance- I was the statue in the corner." he told her, deciding not to mention the 'I-danced-with-Sephiroth' bit. That was his memory, his to cherish and keep in crystal clarity.

"Do you have proof you went?" Tifa asked.

"Yeah- I have my ticket stub. And no, I didn't rip in it half myself. I left about halfway through the dance." Cloud told her.

"I believe you- but bring the ticket stub on Monday to convince the other two."

"Fine. I will- I'll see you then, Tifa." Cloud said. He heard her say 'bye' before they both hung up.

Cloud returned to his meal, eating slowly as he watched an old rerun of some show or another. He didn't really have anywhere to be, and was perfectly content to stay hidden in his apartment until Monday.

Sephiroth's POV

The weekend passed far too quickly for Cloud, but far too slowly for a silver-haired high school student.

Sephiroth had worked carefully on his project for the school newspaper, determined to have his article finished so they could quickly set up the layout and get it out first thing Tuesday morning. He had agonized over the wording and the title, eventually deciding that it was as perfect as he could get it.

The classes passed rather slowly, boring him half to death. The only high point was the classes that Cloud was in. Sephiroth hoped that the blonde would look at him, perhaps give him a reason to say something so that the blonde would respond, blue eyes flashing in anger.

Oddly enough, Cloud said nothing to him all day. As far as Sephiroth could tell, Cloud didn't even look at him.

'Strange- he'd usually have said something by now. Shouldn't he have? What's wrong?' Sephiroth was concerned- had something awful happened to Cloud over the weekend?- but couldn't show it. It would raise odd questions if he 'suddenly' started asking questions about how Cloud was- odd questions much too close to the truth, and Sephiroth couldn't afford that. He was forced to simply watch in silence, worried, but he managed to cheer himself up slightly with the promised meeting later today with Aeris and Zack to create the page for the Echo. He would have a female version of Cloud not long after the article was printed, he was sure. Clementine couldn't hide for long in a school like Midgar High- there was so few blondes with blue eyes here. He would find her, he was sure of that.

Some Time Later

After school, Sephiroth waited impatiently in the Echo's meeting room. Aeris and Zack arrived a few minutes later, carrying a laptop, portable printer, and materials to create the layout.

"Here's the article." Sephiroth said, handing three sheets of typed paper to Aeris. "Thanks again."

"Not a problem." Aeris said. "Just give your description to Zack so we can get started. Zack's a wonderful artist- but you already know, right? Zack told me that you two are friends." She smiled warmly while Sephiroth just nodded.

"Okay, Seph. Time to get to work." Zack said, grinning as he sat on a chair, drawing pad held before him. Sephiroth pulled up another chair as Aeris sat at the small desk in the corner, putting the laptop down and re-typing up the article so they could mess around with it later.

"Aeris already told me what we're up to- so, what did she look like?" Zack asked, serious tone not covering the mirth in his eyes. "All I need is a good description of the face..."

"She had shoulder-length blonde hair, maybe a slightly longer- slightly wavy. High cheekbones, small chin, but not pointed. Rounded, soft." Sephiroth began, recalling as many details as he could. "Blue eyes, slightly almond-shaped, and thin eyebrows. Long eyelashes. Her skin was pale- no marks of any kind. Her nose wasn't large or very small- I can't really remember how small. She has full lips." Sephiroth frowned, wondering what else to put in his description.

Neither of them noticed Aeris freezing in shock behind them as Sephiroth described Clementine.

'No way... it can't be...' Aeris thought, standing up slowly. She walked behind Zack as the dark-haired man's pencil whizzed on the paper, quickly filling the details of the person's face.

As Zack added in the finishing touches, Aeris swallowed hard.

'It's Cloud. No doubt about it. There aren't many people who look like that- well, who looked like that on Friday.' Aeris swallowed again.

'Do I tell them? Sephiroth has a right to know... but Cloud has even more of a right to tell him.' Aeris smiled softly. Sephiroth hadn't given details, but she could figure out that something had happened between the two.

'This is Cloud's chance to be happy.' Aeris thought, staring at the drawing. She had known for a while that Cloud's apparent 'hate' of their silver-haired classmate was a lie. At a party that had gotten out of hand, Aeris had found Cloud slightly tipsy and had driven him home. He had been so out of it he had rambled on and on about how perfect Sephiroth was, and how he would never be able to be with him because Cloud wasn't good enough. Aeris had been shocked at first, but had said nothing to Cloud or any of the others about it. Cloud had forgotten he had said anything when she next talked to him, thankfully. As accidental as it had been, Aeris was glad to be let in on Cloud's greatest secret and had helped him keep it quiet.

'I'll ask him what he plans on doing, but only help if he asks. I won't push.' Aeris decided, blinking as Zack suddenly waved a hand in front of her face.

"Hey, flower-girl! You in there?" he asked, smiling. Aeris just nodded, a grin on her face.

"Yes- I was just admiring your drawing." she said, taking the drawing pad from Zack. "I think it looks wonderful- exactly like a real person." Aeris said, walking over to a small table in the center of the room. "Now, for the layout..."

A/N: Though I'm sure we all figured this out, Aeris did not go to the dance. I didn't reall feel like making up a reason- pick one. Anyways, for the sake of the plot and advancing it, she was not at the dance but picked out Cloud's costume anyway.

Okay, so quite a bit of that was pointless... sorry if this moved way slow, but it picks up speed next chapter, I swear!

Originally, I was going to have Cloud all by himself when dealing with Sephiroth- I actually included Aeris by accident. Hopefully this seemed all right- and again, next week we're picking up speed!

I know the whole Cloud and 'sunny-side-up-eggs-are-special' thing seemed kinda dumb- but I love sunny-side up eggs and they're basically my breakfast every morning before I go to school. I felt like including it- as well as a detailed description of the apartment, so we know where's where and basically his living area. Again, probably pointless, but I'll see you again in about a week... 


	4. Rejection

Cloud's POV

Tuesday had started fairly uneventful- and Cloud had hoped it would have stayed that way, but it was not to be.

The Echo came out on Tuesdays.

When he had first gotten to school, he hadn't thought much of the over-average amount of people he saw reading the Echo. That is, until he saw the headline and the picture that went with it.

''It Could Be Love'.' Cloud read, face draining of color as he recognized an image of himself drawn underneath the headline. There was no doubt in his mind in regards to what the paper was about.

'Shit. At least no one will recognize me from that picture, right?' Cloud thought. Deciding he needed a closer look, he snagged a paper from a rack in the wall.

''It Could Be Love, by Sephiroth.

Halloween- bewitchment, superstition, witches, and black cats run rampant. Last Friday at the Halloween dance, and girl by the name of Clementine bewitched my heart and has run away with it.

Even now, I am searching for her, and will not stop until I find her. I would like everyone in the school to assist. An artist's image is included on this page, as well as a written description of her. If you find her, either convince her to come forward or tell me where to find her.'' Cloud scanned the article, feeling his heart sink.

'There is no way in hell... he's actually looking for me?' Cloud thought, heart stopping at the last sentence of the article.

''And Clementine, if you're reading this, then know this: I will find you.''

Cloud dropped the paper, numbly moving to his first class. He had gotten in way over his head.

'At least none of my friends read the paper.' Cloud thought, mentally sighing in relief, eyes closing as he tried to recall something that he was sure he was forgetting- someone he knew had an attachment to the paper, but who?

His eyes snapped open.

'Aeris! She's the editor- damnit, she probably recognized me and told Sephiroth or the others and now they're probably laughing- but...' Cloud paused as another thought hit him.

'Why did she post the article? She knows now- she has to know! She picked out the damn outfit!' Nervous, not angry, Cloud avoided Aeris, and succeeded, until lunch.

At Lunch

He had found a nice corner table, far enough away from most other people that his friends wouldn't think to look here. He could eat by himself, and had to avoid his pink-clad friend until he thought of what to say.

"May I sit here?" a light, female voice asked from behind him. Cloud almost choked on his sandwich, coughing like mad as the person sat down and put her tray on the table without her request being answered.

"Aeris? Why are you here?" Cloud asked, getting his cough under control. Aeris looked at him steadily.

"I wanted to talk to you, find out what you're planning on doing next."

"Next?" Cloud asked in a small voice, then pretended like he didn't know what she meant. "About what? I haven't done anything. Why do you ask?"

'Maybe she didn't recognize me...'

"Don't play dumb. I wanted to know what you're doing next about Sephiroth." Aeris said, calmly picking up some of the school's pasta salad on her fork.

"Me? Not anything. I haven't done anything." Cloud protested, an edge of panic in his voice.

'Maybe she did.'

"I heard what happened at the dance. Apparently a few people saw this 'Clementine' run out after 'she' and Sephiroth were engaged in a pretty passionate kiss." Aeris said, straining 'she' so that Cloud would have no doubts about her knowledge of the situation. "I want to know what you'll do."

"Did you tell anyone?" Cloud demanded. Aeris smiled reassuringly.

"No- no one but you and I know. I already know that you like him- one night, you were drunk and said a bit more than you should have." Cloud blushed and looked down.

"What should I do? I can't just go forward and say 'Hey, Sephiroth, I've had the hots for you for god knows how long and lost a bet resulting in me dressing up as a girl for Halloween- you know, as Alice in Wonderland? I was so happy that you asked me to dance I didn't tell you who I was and lied about my name, gender, and everything else. You ended up kissing me, and now I really really want a you to kiss me again.'?" Cloud snorted softly. "I can't tell him. It'll blow over in a few days."

"You read the article, right?" Aeris asked. Cloud nodded, not looking at her. "It won't blow over in a few days- he kept on going on about how close to perfect Clementine was, and how he really thought that he could love her. He wasn't lying." Cloud looked up at the green-eyed girl, shock written on every feature.

"At the very least, he deserves an explanation for why you ran away. It doesn't have to be the truth if you're afraid, but it has to be something so he isn't constantly hoping for her to come back." Aeris said. "I won't tell him, but you should at least tell him that you can't be with him so he isn't searching for someone who doesn't exist. You could always tell him the truth and maybe he'll accept you as Cloud, not just as Clementine." Aeris said helpfully. Cloud nodded.

"I... I'll call in sick tomorrow and come as Clementine. I'll end it tomorrow." Cloud said. "It hurts to live in constant hope of something you can't have- I understand that, maybe better than anyone. I can't put him through that."

"If you need help, I'll help. I'll always be your friend." Aeris said, returning to her temporarily forgotten lunch.

Cloud, however, had no appetite. He shoved his leftover food back inside the bag and retreated into his mind, trying to decide on the best course of action.

'I have to tell him.'

The Next Day

Wednesday dawned cold and foggy, rainclouds in the sky.

'Perfect.' Cloud thought sourly, slipping on the dress Aeris had brought him. The flower-girl had realized late last night that he would be unable to go in his Alice in Wonderland costume and had rushed over with a dress she had never worn much. It wasn't a perfect fit, but it was better than nothing.

Walking over to the phone, he dialed the school's phone number.

"Midgar High Attendence Office." the secretary said.

"I'm calling in sick- student number 911XXX." Cloud said, coughing a bit for effect. "Name: Cloud Strife." He smiled thinly as the secretary wished him well and told him that he was excused, hanging up.

'Sometimes it comes in handy to have a perfect attendence record despite living alone.' Cloud thought wryly, grabbing the blonde wig he had worn less than a week ago.

He groaned in frustration as he realized that the wig's hair had tangled and become a mess. He grabbed a comb from the bathroom cabinet, drawing the comb's teeth carefully through the artificial blonde hair as to not rip it all out. Eventually, he got the wig looking respectable again and slid it on.

When he looked in the mirror, he saw Clementine, back among the living again.

"Time to go." he said, walking out the door and grabbing his keys. He had a story to set straight.

After the Car Ride

Cloud pulled up slowly to the school, checking the clock.

'Is it passing period yet?' Deciding that it wasn't yet but would be soon- and wanting to get this over with- Cloud parked and entered the school.

'What class is Sephiroth in this time of day?' Cloud wondered. He almost groaned when he realized he didn't know. He decided to head to the main office and ask there. If not, then he'd wander around until he found him.

Quietly, nervous beyond belief, Cloud walked to the main office. Once there, he knocked lightly and stepped in.

A secretary at a nearby desk looked up and smiled at him.

"Are you new here?" she asked kindly. Cloud started to shake his head, but then quickly changed his mind and nodded.

"I'm not going to be a student here though. I need to see Sephiroth." Cloud muttered, hoping his light falsetto fooled the woman.

"We can't hand out personal information-"

"Just for a minute. I need to talk to him. Unless you'd rather I wander the halls, please just tell me what class he's in-" The bell rang, signaling the end of the period. Cloud groaned. "Well, what class he's going to be in in five minutes."

The woman was quiet, studying Cloud for a moment.

"This is against policy, but you seem trustworthy enough. I don't think you could hurt him anyway, even if you tried." she said, turning to her computer. "Let me look up his class schedule. Hold on."

"Thank you." Cloud said, looking down. In two minutes the lady had found the room number.

"Room 313 A. Do you know how to get there?"

"Yes- thank you." Cloud turned and walked out into the hall, ignoring the curious stares quickly turing to awe as people recognized 'her' from the picture in the Echo.

Whispers followed him, but he ignored it, heading towards the stairs. As he climbed, he heard the bell ring again.

'Five minutes already?' Cloud thought, grimacing. 'This means I have to call him out in front of his whole class.'

By the time he got to the third floor, the corridors were empty. His feet dragged to room 13 A, but he forced himself to knock loud enough to be heard.

"Come in." he heard the teacher say, irritated at having been interrupted. Cloud opened the door, not looking anywhere but straight ahead as he walked up to the teacher.

"May I speak with Sephiroth, ma'am?" Cloud asked, polite as he could. Excited whispers broke out in the class as he spoke, everyone having read the Echo.

"He's in the middle of cla-"

"I just need him for a moment, ma'am. I'm sorry for the interruption." The teacher seemed baffled by the sheer politeness of Cloud's tone and wordlessly assented. Cloud turned to face the class, eyes locking with Sephiroth's.

Cloud swallowed hard, palms sweaty. This was more nerve-wracking than the dance had been. He heard the teacher tell Sephiroth to follow Cloud out to the hall, but didn't really notice much else as he numbly turned and walked back to the hall and waited.

'What do I tell him? This is too difficult...' Cloud had had no trouble pretending to tell Sephiroth to go after someone else, but seeing the man himself was another matter altogether.

"Clementine?" Sephiroth said, soft footsteps sounding behind Cloud. "You wanted to see me?" Cloud turned around, biting his lips as he saw how Sephiroth was dressed.

Loose black slacks- not jeans- nicely accented Sephiroth's legs, and he wore a black turtleneck, making the man seem even slimmer than he already was. Short black boots adorned his feet, and Sephiroth had let his hair hang loose to frame his face.

"I... I wanted to tell you to stop thinking about me." Cloud said, words hard to form past the lump in his throat. "Just pretend we never met. It's better that way." Cloud looked down again, not missing the hurt and confusion on Sephiroth's face. "It's for the best."

"Why?" Sephiroth asked softly, like the word cost him. "I deserve to know why. Am I not desireable to you?" Cloud laughed hollowly.

"It's nothing to do with you, but... it's my fault. I can't be with you. You're very desireable to me, Sephiroth. I just... I just can't." Choking on tears that threatened to burst from his eyes, Cloud turned and began to run, berating himself for coming to talk it out and the running from Sephiroth- again.

He was almost to the stairwell when a strong hand grabbed him by the arm and pulled him back against a strong, muscular chest.

"Why can't you be with me? Are you... involved with someone else?" Sephiroth asked. Cloud shook his head, not looking at Sephiroth and too afraid to speak. "Then why? Tell me why, and I'll leave you alone."

"I... it just wouldn't work between us. I know it wouldn't work." Cloud said, feeling hot tears sting as they coursed down his cheeks. He rarely ever cried, and yet here he was, crying for the second time this week because he had- for a short time- had what he most wanted. It hurt to let that go, and Cloud had selfishly almost convinced himself to stay silent.

"You keep saying it won't work. Why is that? Why, Clementine?" Sephiroth asked, turning Cloud around to stare deep into his blue eyes.

"I... it..." Cloud was at a loss for words, unable to speak from sorrow and the thrill he got at- once again- being close enough to kiss the silver-haired man.

"Tell me why, and I will leave you alone, unless it's just a silly fear keeping you from me." Sephiroth said, serious.

"I... I'm not who you think I am. I'm no good for you. Please, don't make me say more." Cloud said, trying to pull away from Sephiroth, but the silver-haired man held him in a viselike grip. He couldn't escape.

"What do you mean by 'no good for me'? Who are you, if not yourself?" Sephiroth countered. Cloud closed his eyes.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, but please, just forget you ever met me. Forget it, please." Cloud said, them twisted as fast as he could and ripped his wrists out of Sephiroth's hands and ran down the stairs, jumping entire flights to put a bit more distence between himself and Sephiroth.

He was so relieved when he ran out to his car and managed to get in and pull away without Sephiroth following, but it was a hollow victory.

'I ended it. It's what was best for him. It... it's over.' Cloud thought, pulling into the parking lot for his aparment complex and turning of the engine. He let himself cry, just sitting in his car. He didn't have the energy or will to move.

Sephiroth's POV

Sephiroth watched Clementine run- again.

'Why did she go?' He had too many difficult questions- the 'why' of almost any question you asked was the most difficult to answer, and rarely was answered. All of his questions were 'why'.

'Why did she say she was no good for me? Why did she say that she's not who I thought she was? Why-' Sephiroth thought, eyes lightly misting over as he walked back to class. '- did she seem so hurt when she turned me down?' 


	5. Last Chance

Sephiroth POV

The rest of the day passed in a blur, Sephiroth being unable to concentrate on anything but Clementine. No one had commented on his trancelike, contemplative state, and no one commented on how depressed he seemed.

'I'm getting no answers by thinking.' Sephiroth thought. 'I have to see her one more time.'

After school, Sephiroth made another call to Aeris.

"Yes?" she asked, picking up on the first ring.

"It's me- Sephiroth. I need one more favor-" He told her an edited version of what had happened that day. She listened quietly.

"What do you need me for?" she asked when he was done, secretly sorry for Cloud and for Sephiroth- only one lie was keeping them apart, but that one lie might have also been Cloud's only chance to have a civil conversation with Sephiroth. So much depended on the silver-haired man- if he loved Cloud regardless of gender, then the lie was keeping them apart. If Sephiroth disliked Cloud as he seemed to, then the lie was the only thing allowing Cloud any warm, intimate contact with him.

Aeris bit her lip. She had promised not to interfere or tell, but she sure as hell could try to influence things for the better.

"I would like to have use of your front page again..."

Cloud POV

Thursday and Friday passed without incident- the entire school seemed to have a hush fall over it. Everyone had heard the story of Clementine and Sephiroth by now, and everyone had also heard that Sephiroth had been rejected twice, but still wanted her.

Even Tifa and Yuffie had heard the story, but thankfully neither of them drew the connection between Cloud's costume and the sudden appearence of a blonde, blue-eyed girl.

"I just can't believe it- I heard he kissed her and she shoved him away, but he still went after her." Yuffie said.

"Really? It wouldn't surprise me-" Tifa began, but Cloud cut her off.

"Leave him alone. We can go back to insulting him when he's back to being himself again." Cloud said. "It's underhanded to kick him when he's down like this."

Tifa, Yuffie, Barret, and Cid all looked at him like he had grown another head or three.

"Uh, Cloud? This is Sephiroth we're talking about, right? Long silver hair, green eyes, you hate his guts?" Tifa ventured, frowning slightly. She personally had never really cared about or hated Sephiroth, but Cloud had hated him so she had too.

Ah, witness the power of a simple childhood crush.

Tifa had secretly liked Cloud for a while when they were younger, but had kept it to herself- only telling Yuffie, her best friend, and swearing her to secrecy. Thankfully, the crush had died out a while ago but she still disliked Sephiroth because of how he was always hurting Cloud- physically and verbally.

"I don't hate him. Just leave him alone, alright?" Cloud told them. All but Vincent and Aeris shared a shocked glance. To avoid questioning, Aeris quickly asked Cid a question about his girlfriend- Shera. Cid responded happily, in his usual cuss-every-other-word fashion.

Cloud flashed her a grateful smile. Him revealing that he didn't hate Sephiroth was all but forgotten, shoved to the back of his friend's minds as the bell rang for the end of school for another two days.

Sephiroth POV

Sephiroth found himself once again in the office of the Echo after school, a week after he had last been there.

"Thank you again for letting me use your publication." Sephiroth said to Aeris, who just forced a smile. It was half her fault in the first place that he had to, so she really didn't mind.

Besides, more people than ever had read the Echo last week, and she wanted to top those numbers.

"It's no problem. You have your article already typed out, correct?" she asked. Wordlessly, he handed her a few sheets of typed paper. "We'll probably just use the picture from last week- is that okay? Zack's busy after school and my artistic talent is nowhere near his..."

"It's fine." Sephiroth said. "Do you need assistence with anything?"

Aeris shook her head.

"I'll see you tomorrow morning, then." Sephiroth said, turning and leaving. Aeris nodded absently, reading over Sephiroth's work.

When she finished, she smiled as she sat down at the laptop.

'Cloud had better answer this.' she thought as she began to type.

Cloud POV

Cloud had just started to relax again- though he was still depressed- when he arrived at school on Tuesday morning. He would have relaxed completely had he not spotted the headline of that week's Echo.

'Let's Make A Deal, Clementine.' With a sinking feeling, Cloud grabbed a paper and read through it, face going pale with shock.

'' Let's Make A Deal, Clementine, by Sephiroth.

I know that many of you know I was rejected twice by the same person. I have not completely given up yet.

Last week she told me that it wouldn't work out between us, but I refuse to believe that. I will continue to look for her and convince her that we will work out until she tells me why she thinks we are not compatible.

So, Clementine, if you're reading this, I propose this deal: Go on one date with me, and if you still don't see us as working out, then answer me why and you will never have to see me or hear from me again. But, if you have changed your mind by the end of the date, then agree to become my girlfriend and come with me to the Valentine's Day dance in three months time. If I do not see you in that time, I will assume you have not seen this article and will continue to post it every week in the Echo until you come and see me. Should I lose use of the front page, I will post this article on flyers around the school.

I was not lying when I said it could be love. I want to try- how about you?'' The article then listed Sephiroth's home phone number, his cell phone nuumber, and address.

Cloud swallowed, shocked. The Valentines Day dance was a huge deal around here- it was couples only, no singles accepted- and going to the Valentine's dance proved that two people were an item, and very serious about each other. At that particular dance, nothing but slow love songs were played, almost encouraging students to make out on the dance floor.

Sephiroth had never gone to that dance, no matter who he was with at the time. He had never been present, proving that he had never been serious about anyone else.

Cloud swallowed again.

'This wasn't supposed to happen. How could he-? How could he still want me after I rejected him twice!' Cloud clenched the paper tightly in his fist, looking down at the floor. A single tear rolled from his eye, though whether it was for joy or sadness he wasn't sure.

Scene Change

Cloud wasn't even a little surprised when Aeris sought him out at lunch.

"Hey." she said quietly, sounding quite unsure of herself.

'It seemed like a good idea at the time, but... what if he's angry?' she thought, sliding into a seat across from Cloud.

"Hey." he responded. They fell silent for a moment, awkward, until Cloud decided to come right out with it.

"Why did you let him post that?"

"Because ... it's your only chance, Cloud. Maybe your last chance. I want to see you happy- and he only wants one date. He's not asking for you to marry him, he just wants a few hours of happiness with you and then an explanation. You want to too, right?" Aeris asked. Cloud hesitated, then slowly nodded his head.

"One day will have to be enough- then I'll tell him and he can hate me as much as he wants. I can't lie to him any more, and this is when I'm not even talking to him. I'll let this charade go on for one more day." Cloud smiled at Aeris. "I guess I should thank you, for giving me this last chance."

"Sephiroth deicided to write it- I just gave him somewhere to post it." Aeris replied. "You'll be needing a new dress, though- I can help you alter something so that it fits well. It may take me a day or two, though."

"That's fine." Cloud said. "I'll go and and see him on Friday- last day of school before we have vacation for the observation of the Meteor Crisis." Cloud was referring to an event that had happened centuries ago, but was still observed around this time- students got a week off to mourn their great-ancestors and visit shrines and old family members.

"To let him cool down?" Aeris asked quietly. Cloud nodded.

"I hope he can forgive me once he finds out- or at least tolerate me." Cloud said. They ate the rest of their lunches quietly.

Scene Change

On Thursday, Cloud talked to Sephiroth again- as himself- for the first time in over a week.

"Why are you all hung up over Clementine?" he asked the silver-haired man before world history- a class that only the two of them were in from their respective circles of friends. Sephiroth seemed surprised at being asked, but even more surprised at who was asking him.

"Why do you want to know? I don't see how it is any of your concern." Sephiroth replied, though not as harshly as he could have.

"I just want to know. If you don't want to say anything, that's fine." Cloud said, turning to go back to his seat when Sephiroth's voice stopped him.

"... she's as close to absolute perfection as I can get." Cloud turned, shocked at the softness and longing in the other's words.

"'Absolute perfection'?" he echoed, raising an eyebrow in question. Sephiroth was looking into the distence, like he was imagining something wonderful.

"Yes... one person in this school is absolute perfection for me, but... It's just that she was so like-" Sephiroth suddenly cut himself off, jerking his head back up to look at Cloud.

"Who?" Cloud asked, unable to help the flash of jealousy and disappointment.

"That is none of your concern." Sephiroth said, and refused to talk to Cloud for the rest of the day.

A/N: Sorry that this took me so long, and sorry if they seemed OOC this chapter! How was it?  
Anyways, sorry for the shortness of the chapter- next week we have a slightly longer chapter, with a killer cliffie.

So, see you next week with the next chapter- the big date! 


	6. Third Times A Charm

Hopefully we'll all like this one! I was planning on posting tomorrow, but decided to post today instead. There's a god-awful cliffhanger at the bottom- enjoy! If enough people ask (as in ten or more) I might be convinced into posting earlier than next Saturday. Yeah- since today is Friday, a week and a day I'll make you wait unless convinced otherwise. (No biggie- I'm just a glutton for praise. Not holding this hostage, don't get me wrong, just saying I'll post earlier if enough people ask.)

Anyways, enjoy this all fellow CloudSeph -ers!

And remember- third times a charm... (cheesy, yes, very cheesy title- can you pick a better one? Other than 'The Date'- figured that would be too obvious. We do all know what the 'third time' I'm talking about is, right? At least, you'll all know by the end, ne? If you don't, the please ask! I don't know if it was too vague- and there are one or two ways it can be thought of that I DIDN'T think of when creating the title chapter...)

Warnings: FLUFF ALERT! Red alert on fluffiness! Make sure you have tissues (for tears over the angst bit), and toothbrush (for the fluff areas) and toothpaste (for the toothbrush). I don't know if it's actually worth all that, but hey, better safe than sorry!

Anyways, Part VI of XI (6 of 10) (Why did I write that? No good reason... felt like it.)

Cloud POV

Cloud swallowed hard, looking at himself in the mirror.

Aeris had come over after school on Friday to help him out, helping him fix his 'hair'- the wig- and his outfit so that he looked like a real girl. He had even consented to nail polish and makeup, on the condition that she left the polish remover with him. She had agreed, and had done his nails very neatly, well-aware of how humiliating this was for her poor friend.

Cloud tugged at the skirt- it went down to his knees, like his Alice in Wonderland outfit, but the skirt was black. Aeris had brought over a white button up shirt and a black vest. Cloud wore sensible black shoes- more like boots, really- and white socks. His wig had been done up in a ponytail, but the hair wasn't bound so tightly together that it was in danger of falling off or revealed any of the plastic that made up the wig.

Aeris had gone light with the makeup, only using a light layer of foundation before applying a little blush and some mascara. He had refused to wear eyeliner, and so she had decided on using a light liliac eyeshadow to bring out the blue of his eyes.

When they were done, even Cloud had to admit that he made a pretty good girl- a cute one, at that.

"Good luck. Do you want me to drop you off?" Aeris asked as she packed up her things. Cloud shook his head.

"No, I'll drive myself and just park around the corner. We don't know if he'll recognize my car or not." he said, trying to get used to the falsetto Aeris had insisted he practice.

"You'll be fine." she said, smiling as she turned and left. Cloud took one last look around his house before grabbing a jacket he rarely wore and leaving as well, heading for Sephiroth's condo.

Sephiroth POV

'I should have known it wouldn't work.' Sephiroth thought, grimacing. 'It might work yet, though- I won't lose hope.'

The article had been printed three days ago- he couldn't expect a response in three days.

'I had just hoped that she'd come to me before break.' Sephiroth thought. He was currently lounging about his condo in nothing but a pair of pajama pants, having no where to go and expecting no one.

That's why, when the doorbell rang, he forgot about his state of undress- he was so comfortable with being partly naked- and answered it.

"Yes?" he asked, mind reeling when he recognized the person on his doorstep. "Clementine!"

"Mmm?" she said, apparently out of it. He followed her gaze to see his chest, which was rather nicely being shown off in the light of the hall. He looked back up to catch Clementine blushing and smirked.

"I... I just wanted to know if that offer of yours still stood." Clementine stuttered. "I just came here because you said you wanted just one date."

"I wasn't expecting you- but I am most pleasently surprised. Come in and wait while I get dressed." Sephiroth said, opening the door wide and intentionally not moving. The parts of his well-defined chest that had been blocked by the door were now revealed, and he watched Clementine's face closely.

Her eyes followed the movement of the door, looking closely at his chest and she blushed hotly, stammering a 'thank you' as she brushed past him into the condo.

Sephiroth's smirk grew even wider behind her back.

'If that's all it took to get her blushing, I wonder how she'll react when we continue that kiss we left on the dance floor.' Sephiroth thought. The night was definately looking up.

Cloud POV

Cloud stood in the large entryway just inside the door, staring in awe at the luxury that surrounded him.

Sephiroth had a kitchen all the way at the back of the condo. The living room was right outside the kitchen, and the other side of the living room lead to what he could assume was the bedroom as Sephiroth disappeared into that room and shut the door. The far wall had sliding glass doors leading out onto a balconey large enough to have a small metal table and comfortable looking wicker chairs, with enough space to move around the furniture easily.

Hesitantly stepping forward, Cloud realized that he couldn't see a bathroom anywhere- but, by the look of this place, it was probably attached to the bedroom only and not the living room.

Cloud explored the area, seeing that Sephiroth did indeed have a full kitchen- refridgerator with attached freezer, oven, stove, microwave, dishwasher, counters and cabinets. It was like what you'd find in a house!

Moving on, Cloud studied the living room- tastefully decorated with a few paintings, creme-colored walls and carpeting, with an Oriental-style rug in the middle of the floor. A black leather couch rested along one wall, an expensive-looking painting hanging above it. A wood and glass coffee table sat on the rug, magazines resting in an organzied fashion on top of it. A rather large TV stood across from the couch, flanked by bookshelves filled with all kinds of books and keepsakes. Cloud admired them for a moment before heading towards the balcony.

He noted the black curtains on either side of the doors- presumably for covering up the interior of the condo during the day or for privacy (Cloud shivered as he thought of what things that Sephiroth would need 'privacy' for)- as he slid the doors open and stepped out onto the balcony.

A cool breeze tossed his fake hair as he walked to the rail, breath being taken away by the veiw.

A small pond had been dug behind the building, trees planted all around it randomly to give it that 'untouched' feel. The moon cast a reflection on the pool, making the whole scene seem to glow...

"Enjoying the veiw?" Sephiroth asked from behind him, nearly causing him to jump. Cloud turned, then his mouth dropped open.

Apparently, Sephiroth had attempted to match with him- and had succeeded beautifully. He wore tight, black leather pants with a white button-up shirt, a black vest completing the matching. Sephiroth hadn't stopped there, however. A black strip of leather tied his hair back in a loose, low ponytail, a few stubborn strands of hair framing his face. Sephiroth wore boots as well, and had added black leather gloves to his ensamble.

"Y-yeah..." Cloud stuttered, unsure if the 'view' he was referring to was the nature he had been looking at a moment before or Sephiroth's very edible-looking body. Sephiroth smirked, seeming to sense his indecision.

"I've looked up movie showtimes, and there is a film playing soon that I thought we might be able to go see. Perhaps we'll have dinner later and go walking in the park under the stars as well?" he asked. Cloud found himself nodding.

"That sounds wonderful." he managed to say, turning and walking back with Sephiroth into the condo. Sephiroth grabbed a leather jacket and the two were off.

Some Time Later

"This was the greatest date I've ever been on." Cloud said, holding Sephiroth's hand shyly. They had seen a rather excellent movie- though for the life of him Cloud couldn't remember what it was about, or what happened, except that Sephiroth had kissed him twice- and had eaten dinner at a slightly fancy restaurant. They had talked over dinner, talking about nothing in particular and anything they cared to discuss.

"For me as well, and I daresay I've been on more than you." Sephiroth said teasingly. Cloud just smiled as they both laughed. He had unearthed a new side to Sephiroth- the real Sephiroth, the perfect gentleman, the one who laughed out loud and cracked his own jokes, the one who was devastatingly sweet and romantic.

Cloud had fallen even deeper underneath Sephiroth's spell, but his good mood was tainted by the fact that he would have to tell Sephiroth who he was and why they couldn't- wouldn't- be together after the date ended.

'At least I'll always have this memory.' Cloud thought, smiling at something sweet that Sephiroth had said.

They walked on in the dark, talking and laughing and smiling, each hoping that the night would drag on forever so they would never have to leave the other.

"We have to get going soon- the park is only open until midnight and I only asked for one date." Sephiroth said mournfully as Cloud yawned. "And you're getting tired- I'm afraid we have to part ways soon." Cloud nodded silently, eyes taking on a mournful cast.

"I... I still don't think that it would work out." Cloud said. He felt Sephiroth stiffen beside him, then relax, as if resigned.

"I figured that you probably wouldn't change your mind so quickly- but can you tell me why?"

Cloud swallowed.

"When we get back to your place. I'll tell you just before I leave." Cloud promised. A heavy silence fell between the two, each mourning the coming parting of the ways.

Some Time Later

The car ride back was silent, almost awkward. Neither wanted to say anything that would indicate that their date was almost over, and Cloud would be revealing some information that would be so earth-shattering that they couldn't have more than that one date.

Cloud studied Sephiroth's profile in the mirror, biting his lip. It just wasn't fair- a little over two weeks ago he would have thought it an impossible dream to be where he was now, and here he was, throwing it all away.

'It's just not fair, to be so close and give it all up. But I can't lie- not to him, not anymore.' The car stopped in front of Sephiroth's building. Both exited the car, Cloud looking down at his feet as they walked inside and into the elevator, walking out and only stopping when they reached Sephiroth's door.

"I had a lot of fun tonight." Cloud said, pasting on a fake smile while he held back tears. Sephiroth was looking at him so sadly, as if it was breaking his heart to let him go.

"You don't have to leave- you could stay here, or come back tomorrow, or even in a decade. I'd wait for you." Sephiroth said, but Cloud was shaking his head before Sephiroth finished his sentence.

"It's better this way, but I do owe you the truth." Cloud said, suddenly realizing exactly where he was- what position he was in. He was about to reveal to the man he loved that they couldn't be together because he- Cloud- was a man and had been decieving Sephiroth for two weeks. He looked back up at Sephiroth, suddenly desperate for one last good memory.

"Just, before I do..." Cloud swallowed, not used to making this kind of request. "... please kiss me again." Sephiroth needed no further urging, and brought his mouth eagerly down on Cloud's. Cloud could easily taste the desperation, the need, the longing, the urge to make Cloud stay.

'No, to make /Clementine/ stay.' Cloud reminded himself, even as he kissed back, allowing his emotions and silent tears to color their desperate, longing kiss. It was Cloud who initiated the use of tongues, licking fervently at Sephiroth's lips- he parted them willingly, allowing Cloud to map out and memorize the damp cavern and the taste of Sephiroth. This time, Cloud did not back away when Sephiroth began running his hands over Cloud's body- hell, Cloud even encouraged it by sliding his own hands over Sephiroth's form, wanting to feel as much of the man as he could before being forced to leave him.

Cloud's lungs burned, and his eyes stung, but he ignored it until he was light-headed. He reluctantly pulled back, breathing hard and lips only an inch from Sephiroth's.

If he so wanted, he could close that gap and kiss the man again.

Cloud shook his head, stepping backwards out of Sephiroth's embrace. He was glad that he had chosen the side of the door closer to the elevator- it would make things so much easier.

"Clementine, wha-?" Sephiroth asked, hurt in his eyes as well as confusion and a burning desire to know why Cloud had pulled away. Sephiroth's face was still flushed from the kiss, and some of his hair hand fallen out as he had hastily maunvered for better access to Cloud's mouth, and was breathtakingly beautiful.

Cloud just smiled as he let his tears dry on his face.

"I promised you the truth- I'll show you. I'm surprised you didn't find out a minute ago, when we were kissing, but I guess... I guess you weren't thinking about your hands." Cloud let his voice deepen to it's natural tone as he gently tugged on his ponytail.

A/N: Sorry bout the huge AN at the top. Felt like writing it.

How many of you feel like bopping me over the head until I update again? raises hand

Sorry for the cliffie- I hate to read those myself, but love to write them! I don't know if that was a huge cliffie or not- I've seen worse, like life-or-death situations, but compared to the rest of this fic it's pretty attention-grabbing.

Okay- on the OOCness of it- sorry that Cloud cries. A lot. I don't know why, but I think I'm making him into a huge crybaby for some odd reason... sorry for his OOCness.

As for Sephiroth- maybe he's too soft and a bit too cuddly? I don't think so, but I see most men as big huge teddy bears- I'm a 'hug-you-touchy-feely' kinda person when I get hyper off too much sugar. Often, I'm hyper on sugar.

Anyways, remember I'll update Thursday if enough people ask. (Enough 10 or more) If not, then see you Saturday! (IF I'm in a really good mood, I might bump it up to Wednesday- I love Spring Break. High school teachers work us freshies like dogs... grr... I'm glad I already have this whole thing written!)

See you sometime next week! Hugs, love, and kisses! 


	7. Absolute Perfection

Since I was overwhelmed by the positive response (3x as many e-mails as I asked for ! Much love!) I decided to post this today instead of Saturday. Enjoy! Angstness ahead for the first bit of the chapter, and the fluffiness for the remainder of the fanfic!

For those wondering about 'Third Times A Charm' I was thinking more along the lines of him crossdressing for the third time- that's why I picked 'TTaC' for the chapter title!

I'm thinking of lengthening the chapters ahead- they're actually rather short by this fics standards- should I? Since this is chapter 7, we still have 8, 9, 10, and 11. (To the person who asked- I got the Roman numerals right, the number wrong. It is supposed to be 11!)

Hopefully we all enjoy this, and hopefully they're not too terribly OOC. Sorry for the OOC -if any- ahead!

And sorry for the slight overlap in POVs here in the beginning- it's to increase suspense as well as show Sephiroth's reaction better... sorry sorry! There's only a few seconds of overlap though, so it shouldn't be too bad.

Part 7 of 11 (VII of XI, or possibly 10 if I decide to combine the last two chapters.)

Sephiroth could only watch as Clementine backed away.

'What? Did I miss something?' he thought, as Clementine spoke.

"I promised you the truth- I'll show you. I'm surprised you didn't find out a minute ago, when we were kissing, but I guess... I guess you weren't thinking about your hands."

'No, I wasn't but what's that got to do with-?' The thought cut off as he recognized the deeper tone that Clementine had used.

It had sounded... exactly like...

'Cloud.' Sephiroth thought in shock, watching as Clementine pulled off 'her' wig to reveal blonde spikes, flattened by the wig they had been confined under for hours.

"Cloud..." he said, much too stunned to do anything as Cloud smiled thinly at him, eyes glittering strangely in the light.

"I wasn't going to tell you, but I couldn't have you pining for someone who never existed. You deserve... much better than that." Cloud said, remembering that he owed Sephiroth an explanation and tossing the wig lightly at the man. It landed on the floor between them. "That's your Clementine. That's... why it could have never worked out. It was so hard to lie to you about who I was, to dodge your questions about me when I was 'her'." Cloud nodded at the wig. "I... I was just selfish and couldn't tell you that first time you met me dressed like this at the dance. I wanted just one good memory." Cloud smiled.

"I really had fun. Let's... can we go back to how things were three weeks ago? Just please, still talk to me at school, even if it's only to yell. I couldn't handle it if you didn't." Sephiroth watched dumbly as Cloud turned and walked back to the elevator.

"Goodbye, Sephiroth." Cloud said, waving as the doors opened to admit him. Sephiroth couldn't be sure, but he thought he saw a tear run down Cloud's face just before the elevator doors closed.

Cloud's POV

Cloud bit his hand to keep from crying, wanting to scream, wanting to sob, wanting to break down, but not allowing himself to until he got back to his apartment- his home. His sanctuary.

He ignored the odd looks he got as he ran to his car and started it up, blinded by tears for the second time that day, within five minutes of his last cry.

He drove over the speed limit all the way home and had barely parked when he left the car and ran to his apartment. There, he collapsed onto the bed and ignored the running makeup, ignored how loud he was being, ignored everything but the all-consuming pain inside his heart.

He had silently begged Sephiroth to come for him, to reach out and tell him not to go, that it didn't matter, but it was not to be. Sephiroth had just watched him go.

Sephiroth had let him go.

Cloud's last, impossible dream had been crushed, his heart ripped out of his chest. There was no repairing the damage done, but hopefully Sephiroth would let things return to how they had been three weeks ago, before this whole mess had started.

'Who am I kidding? A guy I hate turns out to be the woman I liked because he disguised himself and lead me on for two weeks, and I just forgive and forget? No way. He'll never look at me again.' Cloud cried himself to sleep, welcoming the oblivion with open arms.

Next Day

When he first awoke the next morning, he didn't feel like doing much of anything. He stared at the blank walls, ignoring the phone when it rang and letting the machine pick up.

This is Cloud Strife- I'm not home, so leave a message after the beep. BEEP

"Cloud, this is Aeris. I just wanted to know how it went, but I guess you're either not in or not awake. Please call me later, my number is XXX-XXXX." Click. Aeris hung up as the machine recorded the time and date in a monotone.

Cloud was sorely tempted to throw the machine out the window, but instead simply dragged himself out of bed and headed to the bathroom.

'I'm a mess.' he thought, noticing that Aeris had apparently not used waterproof mascara. He looked like a racoon. Sighing, he grabbed a washcloth from one of the handlebars of the shower and wetted it, wringing it out a bit. He set to work on his face, managing to get most of the makeup gunk off in ten minutes. He felt grungy and didn't want to wear the skirt-and-shirt ensamble anymore, so he quickly stripped, vowing to never wear woman's clothes again- it only brought too much heartbreak. As he shed the clothes, he also shed all aspects of 'Clementine'. Never again would he pretend to be someone he was not- another silent promise.

Cloud quickly turned on the shower, putting the water to near-boiling. He stepped in, enjoying the hot spray as it scalded his flesh and turned his entire body red.

He didn't care, because very little mattered, and very little would matter to him anytime in the near future.

It was only when the water turned cold- a half-hour later- that he stepped out and realized he had nothing to change into. He grabbed a towel and dried himself off, wrapping it around his waist as he headed for his room.

A loud knock at the door sounded- Cloud almost turned to get it before remembering he was only dressed in a towel.

"Hold on a minute." he yelled tonelessly, continuing to his room and sliding into a pair of pajama pants and an old white wifebeater. He carelessly threw the towel onto the bed and walked over to the door, not looking up as he casually opened the door.

"Hello?" he said, glancing up to see his visitor.

When he recognized the person before him, his blood froze.

"Se-Sephiroth." he gasped, face going pale with shock. Cloud looked away, unable to look into Sephiroth's eyes.

"What do you want?" he asked quietly.

"I wanted to talk to you. May I come in?" Sephiroth asked just as quietly, tone revealing nothing of what he felt. Cloud nodded silently, stepping aside and turning his back to the silver-haired man. Cloud allowed himself to notice Sephiroth's outfit, how perfectly the old, faded jeans clung to his legs and ass, and how well the long-sleeved shirt seemed to accent the man's torso. It just wasn't fair.

"Go sit down- there's a couch in the living room. I'll... I'll go make tea." Cloud said, still not looking at Sephiroth's face as he made his way into the kitchen. He busied himself with the kettle, trying to ignore the sorrow threatening to choke him, when all of a sudden a pair of strong arms wrapped around him. He jumped, yelping, and dropped the kettle onto the stove, causing it to clang loudly and rattle, slowing down and stopping a minute later.

Cloud, meantime, had not moved.

"Sephiroth?" he asked, voice cracking slightly.

"My offer still stands." Sephiroth finally said, tone not cold or indifferent, but as warm- if not warmer- than Cloud had heard last night.

"O-Offer?" Cloud stammered, not allowing himself to relax into those strong arms wrapped so enticingly around him, lightly pinning his arms to his sides.

"You could have stayed, or come back this morning, or if you wanted to wait for another decade, I'd wait for you." Sephiroth said softly, gently turning Cloud around to face him. Cloud could only stare in shock at the soft, loving eyes that met his own.

"But... but you told that to Clementine, not to m-"

"What makes you think it would be any different for Cloud?" Sephiroth asked, then seemed to rethink his words. "Well, I suppose it is a bit different..."

"Clementine- you thought that she existed. You thought that she was a real girl." Cloud said, trying to understand what appeared to be a sudden change of heart in Sephiroth. "You could tell a girl those things, but... why would you tell me? You said that she was as close to perfect as you could find..." Cloud knew that his confusion showed clearly in his face, and his confusion only intensified when he saw Sephiroth smile.

"Because, my dear Cloud..." Sephiroth said, leaning closer to the blonde. Cloud's breath hitched at his words, a shiver of pleasure going down his spine. "... while 'she' was the closest I thought I could get to absolute perfection, I was proven wrong."

"H-How's that?" Cloud asked, barely breathing for fear it would wake him up from what had to be a wonderful dream.

"I'm proving it right now, by holding you..." Sephiroth pulled back slightly and pressed his lips chastely to Cloud's, but slowly enough to allow the blonde to savor the feel of his silk-soft lips. "...by kissing you..." He pressed his body even closer to Cloud's, forcing the blonde to back up into the cabinets. "... by touching you." Sephiroth said, voice husky. Cloud shivered again, from anything but cold.

"'She' was close, because 'she' was so much like you." Sephiroth whispered, mouth drawing closer to Cloud's, the blonde breathing heavy in the sheer sensation and the feel of Sephiroth's chest vibrating when he spoke, the sound of that seductive voice causing shivers of desire to travel down the blonde's spine. Green eyes caught blue orbs, slightly darker from the desire in the blonde's veins. "You are my absolute perfection, Cloud Strife, the absolute perfection I was certain I was never going to have." Cloud's eyes filled up with happy tears as he closed the gap, kissing Sephiroth fiercely, with all the love and longing and happiness he could muster. This kiss was so sweet, not bittersweet like the kisses of old, both parties knowing exactly what they were doing and all the happier for it.

They weren't sure who started it, but somehow they ended up involving tongues, memorizing the other's mouth and kissing like there was no tomorrow. Desperate to touch, to feel the other beside them, their hands moved across the other's chest and back, feeling the play of muscles beneath cloth and skin. When they broke apart, it was only for a few quick, deep breaths before they were at it again, both crying in sheer joy and kissing, whispering words of love in between frantic kisses, reassuring themselves that it wasn't just a dream; this was real, it was tangible and wouldn't be gone in the morning.

They had somehow made it back to the couch, Cloud laying on top of Sephiroth, both too comfortable to do much and too exhausted to kiss, lips slightly swollen from all the attetion.

"All this time, and all I had to do was tell you." Cloud murmured, trailing a hand down Sephiroth's still-clothed chest. Sephiroth made a noise of agreement, arms comfortably wrapped around Cloud.

"I'm sorry I didn't react quicker last night." Sephiroth said, tone laced with sadness. Cloud just smiled, nuzzling closer to Sephiroth's chest.

"You're here now, though. You came for me- that's all I ever really wanted. Thank you so much, Seph." Cloud closed his eyes and moaned contentedly as Sephiroth ran a hand through the blonde's hair.

"You are a truly wonderful person, Cloud. I'm so glad this happened the way it did- we must have several lucky stars for everything to have turned out this way." Sephiroth said.

"Yeah." Cloud agreed sleepily, almost wanting to fall asleep on top of Sephiroth.

"Still think it won't work out?" Sephiroth asked cheekily, laughter in his tone.

"No- now I have no doubts it will work." Cloud said.

"One matter we haven't addressed- the Valentine's Day dance. Would you..." Sephiroth swallowed, slightly nervous even though he had no doubt his invitation would be accepted. "... like to go to the dance with me?" Cloud turned his sleepy blue eyes to look at the silver-haired man.

"Of course I'll go with you. Just- no more dresses." Cloud said, smiling. Sephiroth mock-frowned.

"But you looked so cute in a dress..." Cloud swatted him playfully.

"You don't have anywhere to go today, right?" Sephiroth asked, suddenly serious. Cloud nodded, tilting his head to the side in a curious manner.

"Why?"

"Because I was thinking that we might be able to do a repeat of our first date, except this time with no secrets and no worrying."

Cloud smiled.

"I think it's a great idea."

How was it? Horrible? Sorry about all the pointless fluff, but I figure that most people here want to see Cloud and Seph get together in a kind of sweet way. Hopefully this was worth the few day wait and all those reviews! I absolutely loved getting all of those- it made my day!

I have a few other ideas for SephCloudSeph fics, but I haven't started writing them yet. I might not get around to it, but just FYI I have more ideas if you guys think they aren't too OOC!

Cloud: She's going to write more?

Sephiroth: She must be joking.

Bookkbaby: ...I'm not.

Cloud : (shrugs) Could be worse. She could have gotten the idea that Tifa and I belong together, or Aeris.

Sephiroth: Very true, my dear Cloud. (hugs possessively)

(Sorry about the little dialouge at the end of the A/N! I couldn't resist- so many of my favorite authors do it, I wanted to try... sorry sorry!) 


	8. Valentines Day Dance Part I

How did we like the last chapter? How many thought it was the last? (looks and sees raised hands) Well, then, that was NOT the last chapter, and nor is this. I still have 9, 10, and 11 to post!

Warning: Fluff, slightly adult humor (not sure about that one- depends on your point of view and whether or not you get it or find it funny), and maybe OOCness- especially on Seph's psrt. Sorry sorry!

Part VIII of XI (8 of 11 NOT THE LAST)

Valentines Day Dance, Part 1

A week later, back at school, everyone realized that something drastic had changed.

Cloud smiled a lot more, and was a bit more social. He and Sephiroth still fought, but it was far more playful than the old fights they used to have.

Sephiroth was still cool and collected, but every once in a while you'd seen a warm smile from the man previously nicknamed 'The Human Iceberg'.

Whenever anyone asked about it, both said the same thing.

"I found absolute perfection." They would say, smiling, and get a distant look in their eyes.  
No one thought to connect the two- no one, that it, except for Aeris. She would smile softly and congratulate whichever one of the two she ran across in the halls, truly happy for them.  
The paper had run a smaller article- titled 'Clementine Found'- but had not gone into very much detail other than to say that Clementine would be revealed on Valentine's Day, as Sephiroth's date.

And so, life moved on and the school held it's breath until Febuary 14th, each one wondering who 'Clementine' was.

Cloud's POV

Cloud brushed through his spikey hair again. He thought it looked decent- especially considering how Sephiroth had told him his hair looked when it was spikey and free, not weighed down with gel or hair spray, and especially considering that his hair tended to get messed up pretty quickly around his boyfriend.

Cloud blushed and smiled, thinking of all the times he had struggled with his hair for an hour before giving up and going with Sephiroth only to have the silver-haired man ruffle it back to its usual spikes within ten minutes of seeing Cloud again.

"Does this make me look fat?" Tifa asked, tugging her black dress so that it smoothed out. Cloud spared her a glance and smiled.

"Not at all- I'm sure Barret will agree. You look lovely." Cloud told her. Tifa frowned, looking at herself in the mirror.

Her hair had been fixed in a tight bun, leaving some of her bangs to hag down into her face. A small velvet choker adorned her throat, and the dress itself was velevt, hanging down off her frame and showing it off. It reached down to the floor, but didn't quiet cover the girl's inch-high heels.

"How about this?" Yuffie asked, bounding into the small living room of Cloud's apartment- he had invited the three girls to come and get ready by him so that their dates- Barrent for Tifa, Vincent for Yuffie, and Zack for Aeris. Cloud had been as surprised as anyone else when the boys had asked- especially Vincent, seeing as how quiet the man usually was! Cid had invited Shera, but Shera had declined Cloud's invite and had instead decided to get ready with her own circle of friends. Cloud didn't mind- he just needed one or two people to tell him what he had to fix with his appearence. He wasn't that good at spotting that kind of thing and wanted to be as perfect as possible to impress Sephiroth.

'He'll like it no matter what you wear.' Cloud thought, smiling.

"So, who's this girl you're taking with you?" Tifa asked- she had been exclaiming over the dance in front of him, then had immediately felt bad and offered to tell him all about it when she got back. Cloud had told her that there was no need- he was going with someone special himself. Everyone had demanded to know who, but Cloud had kept quiet, only telling them that they'd have to wait until the dance. Of course, everyone assumed that he was going with a girl, save Aeris who knew better. She had privately congratulated him when she had him alone, exclaiming over how sweet it was that they were going together.

"You'll find out- in about fifteen minutes." Cloud said, checking his watch. Sephiroth had wanted them to have a nice dinner before going to the dance, disregarding the fact that it was too early for dinner. He had checked with his friends- they had all agreed to pick up their dates shortly after Sephiroth came to get him.

"You're making her pick you up? That's the guy's job!" Yuffie said. Aeris laughed quietly from behind them. They all turned to see Aeris' outfit- a light pink, floor-length strapless gown with a small red coat that didn't even reach to her stomach. Her hair was piled on top of her head, loose curls framing her face. Her hair was tied back with a pink ribbon and she wore a light dusting of makeup.

"You look wonderful, Aeris." Cloud said. Yuffie glanced between the two other girls, and then looked at her own outfit- a short dress that barely went to mid-thigh and no straps, her hair simply pulled back with a band of cloth, olive-green like the dress. She wore high heels, apparently trying to make up for her lack of height.

"What about me?" she asked, looking around the room.

"You look good too Yuffie- Vincent'll like it." Cloud said. "I'm sure."

He wasn't too surprised when the doorbell rang ten minutes before Sephiroth was due to arrive.

"Is that her?" Tifa asked, striding over to the door. Cloud shook his head.

"No, your dates have arrived." Cloud said, proven correct when the door swung open to reveal three men in decent suits, each with a tie to match their girlfriend's dress.

"Hey handsome!" Yuffie said, waving wildly at Vincent, who merely smiled an hesitantly waved back. Zack was looking Aeris up and down, whistling.

"And why is it you don't dress like this every day?" Zack asked out loud, rhetorically. "Damn I got lucky!" Aeris giggled.

"You... look good, Teef." Barret said, staring in awe at Tifa, who merely blushed.

"Thanks- you do too." she added. The reunions and compliments done, with five minutes to go, all six of them turned to look at Cloud.

Cloud was still fussing over his outfit- black dress pants, shined shoes, a white dress shirt made of what felt like silk, and a black vest to go on top. Even the tie was black. Aeris had smiled when she had seen the outfit, remembering what those colors and that kind of outfit meant to Cloud.

The clothes were the male version of the outfit she had given him for his first date with Sephiroth.

"You look fine, Cloud. Stop worrying." Aeris said gently. He flashed her a grateful smile before turning back to the mirror he had bought for the occasion.

"Thanks, but I want to look perfect." Cloud said, smoothing out his clothes.

"Then try fixing your hair." Yuffie said dryly, leaning against Vincent. Cloud just absently shook his head.

"It just gets messed up in ten minutes anyway..." Cloud blushed at the unintentional statement. "Um... I mean..."

"Whoa- some heavy make-out sessions, methinks?" Zack said in a singsong voice. "Spike's a busy boy, especially if it gets messed up so quickly for him to not even bother with it!"

"Who is this girl you're seeing?" Barrent asked, frowning slightly. "I don't think I've met anyone claiming to be your girlfriend..."

Cloud checked his watch again, smiling when he saw the time.

"You should be finding out any minute now." he said. Just then, the doorbell rang. Cloud's guests- save Aeris- snapped their eyes to the door, as if they expected it to open by itself.

They held their breath as Cloud calmly walked over to the door and opened it- at the perfect angle to block their veiw.

"Great timing." Cloud said, the most joyous smile any of them had seen on him spreading over his face. "You look so... perfect."

"Not nearly as good as you do." One by one, Tifa, Barret, Yuffie, and Zack's mouths dropped open. Vincent was expressing wordless shock, his eyes opening wide.

"What. The. Hell...?" Tifa said, staring dumbly as Cloud pulled the door the rest of the way open, revealing a very handsome silver-haired man. "Sephiroth!"

Sephiroth just smirked, wrapping an arm around Cloud. Faintly, Tifa realized that Sephiroth and Cloud were dressed identically, obviously with an intent to match. As Sephiroth's hair was so long, he had tied it back in a loose ponytail, allowing some hair to frame his face.

"We'll see you at the Valentine's Day dance." Cloud said, waving cheekily at his dumbstruck friends. "And, by the way Yuffie..." he said, pausing for dramatic effect as well as to broaden his grin at his boyfriend. "The 'man' did come to pick up his 'girl'." He allowed that to sink in before he and Sephiroth left, laughing quietly.

"Have fun you two!" Aeris called after them. From somewhere down the hall, Sephiroth's response could be clearly heard.

"Thanks again, Aeris!" Aeris just smiled as she heard the door to the stairwell open, and close a minute later.

All the faces in the room swiveled to look at the pink-clad flower-girl.

"What?" she asked, looking at everyone innocently. "What did I do?"

"You KNEW..." Tifa said, still in shock. "...That Sephiroth was going to be Cloud's date? And you didn't tell us!"

"Wonder what happened to that Clementine chick he was moping about for weeks after the Halloween dance. He seemed real serious about her too..." Zack muttered. Aeris just smiled.

"Well, things aren't always what they seem. Didn't he say he was going to the Valentine's dance with Clementine?" Slowly, everyone nodded. "Well, he still is."

"But, he's going with Cloud." Barret said. Slowly, Yuffie and Tifa exchanged looks of realization and horror.

"The costume..." they muttered. Aeris nodded.

"You three made him cross-dress as a result of the lost bet." Vincent said slowly, comprehension dawning in his eyes. Mutely, the three girls nodded. Vincent sighed, shrugged, and said no more.

"I don't get it. How is he going to the dance with this Clementine chick if he's going with Cloud?" Barret asked.

"Because, Cloud is Clementine." Aeris said simply. "He was dressed as Alice in Wonderland for Halloween, remember? That's where it all began..." Aeris began to recount the tale to the ones that didn't know, telling all she knew of Sephiroth and Cloud's story.

"Damn." Zack said once she was done, remembering the picture he had drawn months ago from Sephiroth's description. "He was one fine-looking girl!"

"I never would have guessed..." Yuffie said, blinking. Tifa nodded, slowly getting over her shock.

"But how could Cloud go from hating Sephiroth to loving him in just two weeks, no matter what charade he was playing?" she wondered. Aeris smiled kindly at her friend, deciding that it was okay to tell the whole truth.

"Cloud hasn't just loved Sephiroth for two weeks. I don't know how long ago it started, but they've loved each other for a very long time, they were just too afraid to show it." Aeris smiled and leaned back against Zack. "But love will find a way- I'm just glad I was able to help it along."

"Oh yes, Aeris Gainsborough- Master Matchmaker." Zack quipped, kissing the top of Aeris' head. "You could have at least told me."

"Or warned me. I would have rather stayed blissfully unaware..." Barret muttered.

"Cloud's still our friend. He's happy, so let's be happy for him too." Tifa said.

A/N: Well? Worth it, or should it go back to be rewritten so they're all more IC? Or should I just scrap the fic and call it quits?

Anyways, hope you all liked it- see you next week, okies? Only a few more chaps to go. Next week: the dance itself!

P.S. Sorry about the unoriginal outfits- couldn't think of anything better! 


	9. Valentines Day Dance Part II

Gah! I'm so sorry everyone- I got distracted by Kingdom Hearts 2 and completely forgot to update! Please note that this is the penultimate chapter- I've decided to combine chapter 9 and 10 into this, so all that I have left is the epilouge! Hopefully this was worth the wait... again sorry sorry!  
Enjoy-ness!

Part 9 of 10 (I changed from 11, those that didn't read the AN)

Cloud and Sephiroth chuckled all the way to the car.

"Think they'll be mad?" Cloud asked as they opened the doors and sat down. "That I never told them?"

"They'll get over it." Sephiroth said, grabbing Cloud's hand and squeezing it lightly. "You told them today, did you not?"

"Yeah." Cloud smiled softly, leaning in and pressing a gentle kiss to Sephiroth's lips and pulling back before Sephiroth had a chance to reciprocate.

"Tease." Sephiroth muttered, mock-angrily. Cloud batted his eyelashes.

"But you love it when I tease!" he said, in a singsong voice. Sephiroth laughed and put a hand behind Cloud's head, pulling the blonde close and meeting Cloud's lips with his own.

"Mmmm." Cloud moaned lightly, lips opening automatically as he met Sephiroth's tongue in a fierce battle for dominance with no losers or winners. Sephiroth hands ran through Cloud's hair, down his back, Encouraging closer contact as Cloud pulled lightly on Sephiroth's shoulders, trying to bring the silver-haired man closer.

They broke apart when they finally needed air, straightening up and fixing their clothes. They both laughed lightly.

"I knew my hair was going to get messed up soon after seeing you again." Cloud sighed with mock-sorrow as he finger-combed his hair. Sephiroth smiled as he started the car.

"You look much better with your hair all wild anyway." Sephiroth said. "And, may I ask why you lied to your friends?" When Cloud looked at him, eyebrow raised in confusion, Sephiroth explained. "You know perfectly well we take turns being the 'man'-"

"Say no more." Cloud said, laughing and blushing furiously. "In this case you were the 'man'."

"Does that extend until tonight?" Cloud laughed again.

"Oh, you're horrible." he said as they pulled out of the parking space, laughing all the way to the restaurant.

Scene Change

The Valentine's Day dance was packed- people were everywhere. Most of the crowd consisted of people who weren't even going to the dance- they just wanted to see who 'Clementine' was. She had been the center of gossip for months, even after Sephiroth had stopped using the front page of the Echo. The curiosity had not died down- not when this bit of gossip concerned the number one bachelor in Midgar High.

Tifa, Barret, Zack, Aeris, Yuffie, and Vincent had kept it to themselves, only whispering the news to Cid and Shera when they arrived. Cid's eyes had bugged out of his head and he had shouted cuss words for ten minutes before Shera kissed him to shut him up. After that, Cid was willing to listen to the story quietly.

"Damn- never would have guessed Cloud's... that way." Cid said, hands twitching, desperate for a cigarette to 'calm his nerves'. "Not that I think any less of the kid, it's just... never knew."

"None of us guessed either- except for Aeris, who helped get them together." Zack said, smiling proudly at his girlfriend.

A sudden hush fell over the crowd as a familiar black car pulled up to the curb, parking neatly. No one had gone inside the school yet, as the dance wasn't scheduled to start for another two minutes, and everyone was curious to see who Sephiroth had brought.

Sephiroth stepped out of the car- a few girls squealed, having come only to see Sephiroth (fangirls were scary)- but he ignored them and went to the passenger side door. The school breathed in,holding it until the door opened to reveal...

Cloud Strife, who just so happened to be the second most elidgeable bachelor in Midgar High, though you'd never get the blonde to admit it.

Shocked gasps and whispers spread throughout the crowd as Sephiroth held out a hand to help Cloud out of the car and Cloud took it, smiling gratefully. The two men walked, hand-in-hand, and didn't seem to be affected by the shocked whispers. They marched right into the school, and to the gym. Slowly, the rest of the couples following while the singles stayed outside and diffused into little groups of friends, discussing and gasping over the new development. (Needless to say, the Fan Clubs of Cloud and Sephiroth got together and formed a new club- Cloud and Sephiroth Yaoi Supporters Group)

Cloud and Sephiroth owned the dance floor whenever they were on it, the center of attention. Their friends danced to the sides, every so often flashing a slight smile at the couple in the middle.

"Think we shocked them?" Cloud asked, referring to the stunned student body- many kept glancing at them nervously, as if unsure if this was a weird dream or not.

"I think we did slightly more than that, my dear Cloud." Sephiroth said. The song ended, another slow song coming up behind it.

Cloud and Sephiroth broke into identical grins as they recognized the song- it had been one of the few slow songs played for the Halloween dance, and was very special for them.

It was the first time they had danced.

"Maybe we should do something even more shoscking and scandalous than holding hands, hmmm Cloud?" Sephiroth asked in a whisper, directly in Cloud's ear. Cloud shivered at the sound of his boyfriend's voice, so breathy and light.

"If you're thinking what I'm thinking, then go for it." Cloud said, turning his neck as Sephiroth did so that their lips met. They pulled out every trick they knew, searching out spots that would make the other moan. They barely noticed when the rest of the students stopped dancing to gape in shock at the two men as they plastered themselves all over the other, hands running over the other's body in a very intense make-out session.

The four couples- Zack and Aeris, Cid and Shera, Vincent and Yuffie, and Barret and Tifa- smiled slightly and moved, so that the only two people on the dance floor were Cloud and Sephiroth. Those not sickened by the idea were completely entranced at the pure love that was evident between the two.

The kissing faded away with the song, ending with light, simple, chaste kisses. As the last notes died, Sephiroth looked deep into Cloud's eyes, placing a hand gently on the blonde's cheek.

"Will you move in with me? I know it's a bit fast, but..." Sephiroth asked, voice trailing off as he looked at Cloud, nervous but hopeful.

Cloud grinned broadly, crying in joy as he threw his arms around his lover.

"Do you even have to ask? Of course I will." Cloud said. Sephiroth embraced him tightly, smiling- some even swore they saw Sephiroth shed a tear or two for joy.

"I love you- so much." Sephiroth whispered. Cloud nodded.

"I know. I love you too."

One Year Later

Cloud hummed lightly, cracking four eggs into a frying pan.

Today was a special day- the first anniversary of their 'coming-out' to the entire school, the last Valentine's Day dance of their high school career. Cloud had long since moved in with his lover, and life could not be more perfect.

It had been like a wonderful dream- getting the movers to move his things from his old apartment, being able to call Sephiroth's condo home, and waking up next to the silver-haired man each day. Cloud was slowly being able to accept the dream as reality, though he was still overcome with wonder at how a bet lost turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to him.

"Sunny-side up eggs?" Sephiroth asked, coming up behind Cloud and wrapping his arms around the blonde. "Glad to know I'm not the only one who finds this day special." Cloud smiled- he had told Sephiroth the story behind the eggs, and his lover hadn't thought that it was silly at all, to be able to imagine his mother's love every time he made a certain meal. Sephiroth said that- no matter who made them- Cloud's sunny-side up eggs would always be the best, claiming he could taste the love Cloud put into making them. Cloud had laughed- Sephiroth was always saying something sweet and romantic like that, and it never failed to bring a smile to the blonde's face.

"First anniversary of that dance." Cloud said. "When we became 'official', at least to the student body." The eggs done, he turned off the stove and separated the eggs into two sets of two, putting them on separate plates, each with two slices of bread.

"I hope you have no plans for tonight- at least, none that don't include me." Sephiroth said with a smirk, taking his breakfast from the blonde. Cloud just smiled as they walked to the balconey.

"Why? Are you planning something?" Cloud asked as they sat down at the small table, putting their plates down.

"Maybe." Sephiroth said. "Just be ready to leave here at five. Dress nice." Cloud smiled, reaching across the metal table to lightly squeeze Sephiroth's hand.

"I will be- now lets eat, before it gets cold."

A Little While Later

Cloud was still nervously primping at four-fiftyfive, straightening and then restraightening his outfit- black slacks and a dark blue silk shirt that Sephiroth had bought him, saying it really brought out his eyes. He wore black dress shoes, slightly polished, and had combed his hair a bit. It was barely enough to get out the tangles- he had long ago given up trying to keep his hair in any sort of order around Sephiroth.

"Are you ready?" Sephiroth asked, coming up behind Cloud. "You look marvelous- don't worry about it." Cloud smiled, nodding gratefully.

"How do you always know exactly what I need to hear?" Cloud asked, deciding to leave his outfit alone as he grabbed a black jacket and pulled it on. Sephiroth smiled.

"I just know." Cloud took a moment to appreciate Sephiroth's outfit- black slacks, dark green silk shirt, and black vest with a silver chain.

"You don't look so bad yourself." Cloud said, whistling appreciatively. Sephiroth smirked.

"Thank you very much- shall we?" He offered his arm, which the blonde happily took.

"Where are we going?" he asked, contentedly.

"You'll find out when we get there."

Scene Change

Cloud gasped when Sephiroth pulled up to a small but obviously expensive restaurant- the sign in front said 'Casablanca'.

"You didn't!" he said in shock, smiling as he turned to his lover and kissed him. "Oh Seph..."

The Casablanca was a well-known restaurant- large dishes of expensive food, only lit by candles with tables for two people. It was extremely romantic, and you had to book weeks in advance for a reservation any day near Valentine's Day.

"Only the best, Cloud." Sephiroth said, getting out of the car and helping Cloud out. The two walked through the wooden doors- tastefully carved with images of cute cherubs and Cupid- and walked right up to the hostess.

"Reservation for 'Sephiroth'." Sephiroth said, flashing a smile at the woman. She smiled, grabbing two menus, and lead them to their table. (The Casablanca was also known for accepting all couples, no matter how old, how young, or even the gender)

"Please take a look at the menus- your waiter shall be along shortly." she said, turning and leaving the menus with the two men.

"Whoa... everything here would cost me half my paycheck..." Cloud said out loud, staring at all the gourmet food. He had a job as a delivery man- he enjoyed it, especially because he only had to worry about local deliveries- and got paid decent money, but this food was pretty expensive...

"That's why I'm paying." Sephiroth said. "Pick whatever you'd like." Sephiroth had a job in the militray- pretty high-up too, and got paid quite a bit of cash- and since it was peaceful and there wasn't likely to be another war for a long, long time, Sephiroth basically sat at a desk and went through paperwork about trainees. More than once, he had come home to complain to Cloud about the sheer ridiculousness of some of the requests. (I mean, what did Sephiroth care if they had run out of staples and they needed more? Buy the damn things then- you don't need special permission!)

Cloud looked through his menu carefully, mouth watering at some of the dishes- finally he settled on a pasta-and-shrimp salad in alfredo sauce and vegetables. Sephiroth had ordered a steak for himself, with stir-fried vegetables on the side.

"Hello, I'm Dawn- I'll be your waitress tonight. What would you two gentlemen like?" A woman with red hair walked up to their table, dressed in a black dress as was the uniform of waitresses in the Casablanca.

"The New York strip steak, please, with vegetables." Sephiroth told her, handing over his menu.

"The shrimp salad for me." Cloud said, also handing his menu over.

"Anything to drink?"

"Wine, please- red wine, if you have it." Sephiroth said before Cloud could say anything. Dawn nodded and walked away.

"Wine? You didn't have to-" Cloud said, looking at Sephiroth in shock. Sephiroth just smiled back at him.

"I wanted to. That's reason enough." Within a half hour, Dawn was back with the food and the wine. Sephiroth and Cloud traded bits of their meals across the table, exclaiming over how good it all was.

They had both cleaned their plates and were happily content an hour later.

"Mmmm. That was good." Cloud said, cleaning his face with a napkin.

"I agree, but..." Sephiroth hesitated, seeming nervous about something. "...Before we go, I have one question to ask you." Sephiroth slid out of his chair to kneel before Cloud, green eyes locking with blue as Sephiroth reached into his pocket with one hand and placed his other over Cloud's hand.

"I know it's not yet legal for two men to be married- but will you agree to an exchange of vows, in the likeness of marriage but without a preist? Just a small pledge to love each other forever and for always, in front of friends and family?" Sephiroth asked, pulling out a small gold ring. Cloud gasped, eyes misting over and he began to cry..

"Of course I will! Yes, Sephiroth, yes!" Cloud said, letting Sephiroth slid the band around his left ring finger before throwing his arms around his lover.

"I was hoping you'd say that." Sephiroth said, reaching back into his pocket and sliding on his own ring before holding his lover close. The twin bands twinkled in the candlelight, completing the perfect scene of love and adoration.

Sorry for the cheese- I know it has waff and fluff and mush up the wazoo, but it's just how it came out!  
Hopefully if you liked this you'll also check out 'The Date' also by me- lately flamers have attacked it and (while I don't mind CONSTRUCTIVE criticism) I really hate flames. If anyoen could tell me what was wrong with it so I could FIX it I'd be very happy.

Next chapter: The wedding. 


	10. Epilouge

Last chapter- sorry it took so long!

Epilouge

Cloud took a deep breath, checking himself one last time in the mirror.

"Come on Cloud! We're waiting!" Yuffie said, pounding on the door. Cloud took one last look at himself.

He wore a white three-piece suit, exactly like the groom would wear on his wedding day except for the color. Sephiroth was wearing the traditional groom's clothes, Cloud knew, but hadn't yet seen his lover in the clothes. Yuffie had gone on and on about it was supposedly bad luck for the groom to see his bride in her dress before the wedding and had therefore banned Cloud and Sephiroth from showing the other their outfits.

Sephiroth had invited his family to the wedding- Cloud hadn't bothered, knowing that the only person from his family he would want with him was his late mother. Apparently, Sephiroth's parents had been surprised when he told them he was getting 'married' to a man, but had gotten over it and accepted Sephiroth.

Today, actually, was the first time they were going to meet Cloud.

Cloud turned and walked out of his bedroom, coming face-to-face with Yuffie.

"About time, bride-boy!" she huffed, twirling in her olive-green dress- as this wasn't a traditional wedding and they didn't really have a female bride, they had decided to just invite people to come and watch them exchange vows, but not have a best man, flower girl, or anything like that.

Yuffie had offered to drive Cloud to the garden they would be exchanging vows in, claiming that the bride never drove herself to her wedding and saying that- as Cloud was playing 'bride'- he shouldn't have to either.

"Let's go." Cloud said, smiling as Yuffie skipped ahead of him. He locked the condo behind them, and they were off.

Scene Change

Sephiroth was nervous. he was very rarely nervous, but this was one of the few times.

"Oh, honey, you look wonderful! I'm sure this man of yours will think so too." his mother said, encouragingly patting his back.

"Well, he sure as hell didn't run out on my son- right boy?" Sephiroth's father asked, smiling proudly. "Sephiroth has that old family charm, doesn't he dear?"

"Oh yes- he's as handsome as you were, back in the day... when I first met you..." Sephiroth's mother got a faraway look in her green eyes, her long brown hair being slightly whipped by the wind. She was a tall, thin woman and wore a blue shirt and dress shirt in honor of her son's day. His father had silver hair- some fading to grey, now- and electric blue eyes. He was taller than Sephiroth, but just as broad in the shoulder. He wore a grey suit and a blue tie, to match his wife.

"Back in the day?" he parroted. "Not now?"

"Oh, stop." Sephiroth's mother said, smiling.

The screeching of tires alerted them to the new arrival.

"Sounds like Yuffie's here." Zack said, going to sit next to Aeris.

"She never did learn to drive very well." Tifa said, sighing as she leaned against Barret. "I should have made sure she didn't get into trouble."

"She would have found trouble anyway." Vincent said, sitting down in the front. One by one, all of Cloud's friends, and all of Sephiroth's friends and family sat down. Yuffie was the first to appear, running up.

"He'll be here in a minute." she said in way of explanation, quickly taking a seat beside Vincent.

The crowd was silent for a moment, then the soft sounds of footsteps on the grass alerted them to the arrival of the 'bride'.

Sephiroth's family was shocked by what they saw- a very attractive blonde, dressed completely in white with a stub earring in his ear. He wore a band on his left ring finger, just like Sephiroth.

"That's him? My, my, Sephiroth has got great taste..." Sephiroth's mother whispered as Cloud passed them, vaguely noticing how much of an angel her son's husband looked like.

"Must have inherited that from me. We both have great taste." the father replied, lightly kissing his wife. She smiled, and they both watched as Cloud stood next to Sephiroth and faced the silver-haired man.

As there was no preacher or preist, or holy man of any kind, they went straight to the vows.

"Sephiroth, I've loved you for so long I can't remember when it all started. Maybe it was when I saw you smile, or maybe when I first saw you. I love everything about you- you're an angel, something perfect sent down from Heaven to be with me. I never want to be parted from you- it may be selfish, but I want you to be mine and mine alone. I love you so much." Cloud's blue eyes sparkled in the sun, tears of joy barely being held back.

"I love you too, Cloud. I have no words to tell how much. I, too, forgot when this love for you began, only I know that it will never end. Not even death can stop something as powerful as my love for you. It is not selfish to want me to be yours alone, as long as you are only mine. I am your Sephiroth so long as you are my Cloud." Sephiroth smiled, looking softly at his love. "This is not just for life- it is for eternity. Can you promise me that?" Cloud nodded.

"Yes- I can." With that, Sephiroth pulled out a ring from his pocket as Cloud pulled one from his. Together, they placed the rings on the other's ring finger, identical platinum bands with a gold line in the center. As one, they kissed, chastly because they were in front of family as well as friends.

When they broke apart, it was dead silent for a few seconds until Zack let out a whoop.

"Congratulations!" he said, clapping. Everyone else joined in, some of the woman crying at the sweetness of the vows.

Cloud and Sephiroth just smiled at each other as they walked to mingle with the crowd as the entire group slowly drifted back to the picnic tables they had set up earlier, dish after dish piled on top.

Sephiroth's parents, however, walked up to the newlyweds.

"So you're Cloud! Sephiroth told us so much about you!" Sephiroth's mother exclaimed, pulling the blonde into a hug. "Take care of my son- and welcome to the family!"

"You snagged a good one there- take care of him." Sephiroth's father said, smiling at Cloud. Cloud just grinned and nodded.

"Thank you." he said, as the Sephiroth's parents turned and walked to the picnic tables.

"I'm glad they're okay with it." Cloud said. Sephiroth squeezed his hand lightly.

"Why wouldn't they be? You're my choice- I'd have stayed even if they had been against it."

"And I love you all the more for it." Cloud said, leaning lightly against his husband.

Cloud wasn't sure, but for a just a moment he was sure that he felt his mother's presence.

'I love you, my son. I'm very happy for you.' the wind seemed to say.

Cloud grinned as the wind played with his hair, tousling the blonde locks.

'Thank you, mother.' he thought, continuing with Sephiroth to the picnic tables.

As Cloud piled food on top of a plate, he realized how perfect his life was. He had everything he wanted- and he owed it all to a dumb bet he lost one day in high school.

Thinking back now, he's really happy he made that bet. He wouldn't change it for the world.

End

Done! Hope you all enjoyed it!

And for Kingdom Hearts fans, I'm in the process of writing a SoraRikuSora and AxelRoxasAxel fic!  
Bye-bye. 


End file.
